Congress Abstracts 2006

26

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING RELAPSE. Mary E. Cooley, PhD, RN, and Emily Blood, MS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; and Randall Hoskinson, MA, and Arthur Garvey, PhD, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA.

As a result of increased tobacco use among US women, there has been an unprecedented rise in the incidence and mortality associated with lung cancer. In order to eliminate tobacco-related illnesses, effective smoking cessation interventions are needed. Although the number of studies examining gender differences has increased over recent years, there are still significant gaps in the knowledge related to smoking behavior among men and women.

Consistent with ONS research priorities, the purposes of this secondary analysis were to examine whether pre-cessation and post-quit-day-1 (D1) biopsychosocial (NRT dose, withdrawal, stress, mood, coping, social support, partner smoking), and behavioral (self-efficacy, motivation) factors associated with smoking relapse (SR) differed among men and women, and to examine potential differences in self-reported reasons for SR.

The biobehavioral model of nicotine addiction was used to guide this study.

Data were collected from 608 participants using standardized questionnaires. Salivary cotinine was used to confirm smoking abstinence. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and time-to-event analysis were performed.

Pre-cessation factors associated with time-to-relapse (TTR) among men were NRT dose, higher social stress and partner smoking, whereas women with NRT dose, higher financial stress and higher self-efficacy in positive affect situations were at greater risk for SR. In a combined model, only this effect of positive affect self-efficacy on TTR appeared to be marginally significantly different in men and women. The D1 factors associated with TTR in men were NRT dose and higher self-efficacy in negative affect situations. For women, dose, lower motivation, lower negative-affect, and higher self-efficacy in habitual-craving situations were associated with greater SR risk. In a combined model, the effects of self-efficacy in negative-affect and habitual-craving situations on TTR appeared to be significantly different in men and women. Analysis of self-reported reasons for early SR showed 24% of women and 37% of men identified smoking out of habit as the reason for SR. Another 24% of women identified negative affect as the reason for SR as compared to 14% of men. Results suggest that factors associated with SR may differ among men and women. Development and testing of gender-specific interventions are needed to increase long-term abstinence rates among women.

Funding Sources: National Cancer Institute