The Association between Quitline Characteristics and Smoking Cessation by Educational Attainment, Income, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex

Little research examines how tobacco quitlines affect disparities in smoking cessation in the United States. Our study utilized data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018) (TUS-CPS) and state-level quitline data from the North American Quitline Consortium and National Quitline Data Warehouse. We ran multilevel logistic regression models assessing a state-run quitline's budget, reach, number of counseling sessions offered per caller, and hours of operation on 90-day smoking cessation. Multiplicative interactions between all exposures and sex, race/ethnicity, income, and education were tested to understand potential effect modification. We found no evidence that budget, reach, number of counseling sessions, or hours available for counseling were associated with cessation in the main effects analyses. However, when looking at effect modification by sex, we found that higher budgets were associated with greater cessation in males relative to females. Further, higher budgets and offering more sessions had a stronger association with cessation among individuals with lower education, while available counseling hours were more strongly associated with cessation among those with higher education. No quitline characteristics examined were associated with smoking cessation. We found evidence for effect modification by sex and education. Despite proven efficacy at the individual-level, current resource allocation to quitlines may not be sufficient to improve rates of cessation.