Level of cigarette consumption and quit behavior in a population of low-intensity smokers--longitudinal results from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) survey in Mexico

Background: Mexican smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers and to consume fewer cigarettes per day than smokers in other countries. Little is known about their quit behaviors.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine factors associated with having made a quit attempt and being successfully quit at 14-month follow-up in a population-based cohort of adult Mexicans who smoke at different levels of intensity.

Design: A longitudinal analysis of wave-III and wave-IV (2010) Mexican administration of International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project was conducted.

Setting: This study was conducted in six large urban centers in Mexico

Participants: The participants of this study comprised 1206 adults who were current smokers at wave-III and who were followed to wave-IV.

Measurements: We compared three groups of smokers: non-daily smokers-who did not smoke every day in the past 30 days (n=398), daily light smokers who smoked every day at a rate of ≤5 cigarettes per day (n=368) and daily heavy smokers who smoked every day at a rate of >5 cigarettes per day (n=434). Data on smoking behavior, psychosocial characteristics and socio-demographics were collected at baseline and after 14 months.

Findings: In multivariate logistic regression predicting having made a quit attempt at follow-up, significant factors included being a non-daily smoker versus a heavy daily smoker (ORadj=1.83, 95% CI: 1.19-2.83), less perceived addiction (ORadj=1.86, 95% CI: 1.20-2.87), greater worry that cigarettes will damage health (ORadj=2.04, 95% CI: 1.16-3.61) and having made a quit attempt in the past year at baseline (ORadj=1.70, 95% CI: 1.23-2.36). In multivariate logistic regression predicting being successfully quit at one-year follow-up, significant factors included being a non-daily smoker versus a heavy daily smoker (ORadj=2.54, 95% CI: 1.37-4.70) and less perceived addiction (not addicted: ORadj=3.26, 95% CI: 1.73-6.14; not much: ORadj=1.95, 95% CI: 1.05-3.62 versus very much).

Conclusions: Mexican adult smokers who are non-daily smokers were more likely than daily heavy smokers to have attempted to quit during follow-up and to succeed in their quit attempt. Future research should determine whether tobacco control policies and programs potentiate this tendency and which interventions are needed to help heavier smokers to quit.