Disparities in the receipt of medical doctors' advice to quit smoking in the U.S., 1992-2019

Abstract

There has been significant progress in reducing tobacco use in the last few decades. However, there is a considerable concern that the decrease in cigarette use has not been distributed equally across certain groups. The current study examines sociodemographic trends in the receipt of advice to quit from healthcare professionals. Data were drawn from the 1992-2019 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (n = 192,398). Cochran-Armitage tests were used to assess changes in the prevalence over time in the population and by demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with the receipt of advice to quit smoking. The prevalence of receiving advice to quit increased significantly from 50.1% in 1992/1993 to 63.9% in 2018/2019. Results showed differences in the receipt of quit advice from medical doctors by demographic characteristics, with a significant increase in smoking quit advice for all races (p < 0.0001). Current Hispanic smokers consistently had lower rates of receiving advice to quit than non-Hispanics throughout the study period. Multivariable analysis showed that in 2018/19, male (aOR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.98) and Hispanic (aOR 0.73; 95% CI 0.61-0.88) current smokers were less likely to receive advice to quit. Those older and living in metropolitan areas had higher odds of receiving advice to quit. Findings that Hispanics appear to be significantly less likely to receive advice to quit from health care professionals indicate that these populations might need additional targeted efforts.

Keywords: Advice to quit; Health disparities; Healthcare providers; Smoking cessation; US adults.