Intention to Quit among Smokers in Kazakhstan: Data from 2014 Global Adult Tobacco Survey

Kazakhstan is one of the countries with higher-than-average smoking prevalence and tobacco-related mortality. Intention to quit is a key step toward smoking cessation, yet has not been studied in Kazakhstan. This study explored prevalence and correlates of intention to quit among smokers in Kazakhstan. We drew data from the nationally representative survey, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), conducted during 2014 in Kazakhstan. Our sample consisted of 649 smokers aged ≥15 years. We examined prevalence of intention to quit by demographics, knowledge of tobacco-related diseases, nicotine dependence, attempt to quit in the past 12 months, household smoking restrictions, and awareness of antismoking messages. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to test the significance of these correlates. Prevalence of intention to quit was around 75.9% among smokers. Older age (p < 0.001), knowledge of tobacco-related diseases (p < 0.01), moderate nicotine dependence (p < 0.001), attempt to quit within the past 12 months (p < 0.001), and having household smoking restrictions (p < 0.001) were all significant correlates. We suggest investing in efforts to promote cessation activities for smokers of all ages, to disseminate comprehensive information on tobacco-related diseases, and to uphold and strengthen policies on smoking bans.