Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Accessible summary This study shows that, compared with White smokers, non‐White smokers treated in a primarily psychiatric Veterans Affairs hospital were more motivated to quit smoking, yet less likely to be interested in traditional cessation interventions such as intensive nurse counselling and medications. Novel strategies such as take‐home cessation materials, Web‐based interventions and peer counselling may be needed to reach non‐White veteran smokers. These and other strategies will be needed to address the increasing numbers of non‐Whites entering the military, especially returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, many of whom smoke and have co‐morbid post‐traumatic stress disorder and traumatic head injuries making quitting smoking difficult. Abstract The objective of this study was to determine if race/ethnicity predicts motivation to quit smoking and preferences for cessation services among smokers serviced by a primarily psychiatric Veterans Affairs hospital. A self‐administered survey was given to a convenience sample of smokers (n= 146) at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were calculated to determine the association between race/ethnicity and motivation to quit smoking. Forty‐two per cent of the sample was non‐White. Non‐White patients smoked significantly less cigarettes per day as compared with White patients (P= 0.002). In the multivariate analyses, compared with Whites, non‐Whites had 3.5 times greater odds of thinking that quitting smoking was extremely/very important to health (P= 0.01), 4.0 times greater odds of thinking of quitting using tobacco products in the next 30 days (P= 0.004) and 3.4 times greater odds of being interested in receiving smoking cessation services (P= 0.007). Yet, non‐White patients were less likely to be interested in intensive nurse counselling and cessation medications. As the number of non‐Whites continues to increase in the military, novel strategies may be needed to capitalize on the high motivation to quit smoking and preference for non‐traditional interventions among non‐White smokers treated in Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: G3177465497
OpenAlex ID: W1523999049