Use of aids for smoking cessation and alcohol reduction: A population survey of adults in England

Emma Beard; Jamie Brown; Susan Michie; Eileen Kaner; Petra Meier; Robert West

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3862-7

Use of aids for smoking cessation and alcohol reduction: A population survey of adults in England

BMC Public Health. 2016 Dec 8;16(1):1237. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3862-7.

Authors

Emma Beard^{1

2}, Jamie Brown^{3

4}, Susan Michie³, Eileen Kaner⁵, Petra Meier⁶, Robert West⁴

Affiliations

¹ Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK. e.beard@ucl.ac.uk.
² Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. e.beard@ucl.ac.uk.
³ Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
⁵ Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
⁶ ScHARR, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Abstract

Background: It is important for policy planning to chart the methods smokers and high-risk drinkers use to help them change their behaviour. This study assessed prevalence of use, and characteristics of users, of support for smoking cessation and alcohol reduction in England.

Methods: Data were used from the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Studies, which involve monthly face-to-face computer-assisted interviews of adults aged 16+ in England. We included data collected between June 2014 and July 2015 on 1600 smokers who had made at least one quit attempt and 911 high-risk drinkers (defined as scores >8+ on the full AUDIT or 5+ on questions 1-3 of the AUDIT-C) who had made an attempt to cut down in the past 12 months. Participants provided information on their socio-demographic characteristics and use of aids during their most recent quit attempt including pharmacotherapy, face-to-face counselling, telephone support, self-help materials (digital and printed), and complementary medicine.

Results: A total of 60.3% of smokers used aids in the past year, compared with just 14.9% of high-risk drinkers. Use of pharmacotherapy was high among smokers and very low among drinkers (56.0%_versus1.2%). Use of other aids was low for both behaviours: face-to-face counselling (2.6%_versus4.8%), self-help materials (1.4%_versus4.1%) and complementary medicine (1.0%_versus0.5%). Use of aids was more common among smokers aged 25-54 compared with 16-24 year olds (25-34,OR_adj1.49,p = 0.012; 35-44,OR_adj1.93,p < 0.001; 35-44,OR_adj1.93,p < 0.001; 45-54,OR_adj1.66,p = 0.008), with cigarette consumption >10 relative to <1 (10-20,OR_adj2.47,p = 0.011; >20,OR_adj4.23,p = 0.001), and less common among ethnic minorities (OR_adj0.69,p = 0.026). For alcohol reduction, use of aids was higher among ethnic minority groups (OR_adj2.41;p = 0.015), and those of social-grade D/E relative to AB (OR_adj2.29,p = 0.012&OR_adj3.13,p < 0.001).

Conclusion: In England, the use of pharmacotherapy is prevalent for smoking cessation but not alcohol reduction. Other aids are used at a low rate, with face-to-face counselling being more common for alcohol reduction than smoking cessation.

Keywords: Alcohol; Alcohol Toolkit Study; Behavioural support; High-risk drinking; Pharmacotherapy; Smoking; Smoking Toolkit Study; Treatment.

MeSH terms

Adult
Alcohol Drinking / prevention & control
Counseling / methods
England / epidemiology
Female
Health Promotion / methods*
Humans
Internet
Male
Middle Aged
Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
Prevalence
Smoking / epidemiology
Smoking Cessation / methods*
Smoking Prevention*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tobacco Use Disorder / prevention & control*
Young Adult

Grants and funding

14135/CRUK_/Cancer Research UK/United Kingdom