Using evidence from studies that vary in design, sample characteristics, and intensity of the interventions studied, researchers to date have not found consistent gender-specific differences in the effectiveness of intervention programs for tobacco use. Some clinical studies have shown lower cessation rates among women than among men, but others have not. Many studies have not reported cessation results by gender.
Among women, bio-psychosocial factors, such as pregnancy, fear of weight gain, depression, and the need for social support, appear to be associated with smoking maintenance, cessation, or relapse.
The predictors of maintenance or cessation of smoking include:
- Pharmacologic processes and conditions—the basic factors that interact to produce addiction such as smoking intensity, smoking duration and number of attempts to quit.
- Cognition and decision-making ability—knowledge of health effects of smoking and confidence in one's ability to stop smoking.
- Personal characteristics and social context—personality, demographic factors, and environmental influences.
Source: Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General—2001 |
