Smoking cessation patterns by socioeconomic status in Alaska

The ongoing disparity in smoking prevalence across levels of socioeconomic status (SES) is a significant concern in the tobacco control field, and surveillance of cessation-related activity is key to understanding progress. Historically, lower SES smokers have had much lower quit ratios but this measure can be insensitive to recent quit-related behavior. It is therefore important to examine recent quit-related behavior to assess progress toward addressing this disparity, especially in states with tobacco control programs that focus on this priority population. We compared recent quit attempts and successes among non-Native lower SES Alaska smokers to those of higher SES using data from the 2012–2013 Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We assessed quit ratios, one-year and five-year quit rates, and six-month abstinence between the two groups. Cessation-related measures restricted to those who smoked in the previous one year did not significantly vary by SES. However, five year quit rates were significantly lower for persons of lower SES vs. higher SES (14% vs. 32% respectively, p < .001). Results were consistent after adjustment for age, sex, and other factors. Results showed that in the previous year, smokers of lower SES in Alaska were trying to quit and succeeding at similar rates as their higher SES counterparts. However, the equivalent pattern of quit success was not reflected in the five-year time frame. Tobacco control programs should monitor cessation trends using both recent and longer-term time frames for this population. More research is needed on reasons for fewer long-term quits among lower SES smokers.