Quitting behaviors and cessation assistance used among smokers with anxiety or depression: Findings among six countries of the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

• Published in: Tobacco induced diseases 2018-10, Vol.16 (3)
• Main Authors: Petroulia, Ioanna, Kyriakos, Christina, Papadakis, Sophia, Tzavara, Chara, Filippidis, Filippos, Girvalaki, Charis, Peleki, Theodosia, Katsaounou, Paraskevi, McNeill, Ann, Mons, Ute, Fernández, Esteve, Demjén, Tibor, Trofor, Antigona, Herbec, Aleksandra, Zatoński, Witold, Tountas, Yannis, Fong, Geoffrey, Vardavas, Constantine, Consortium, on behalf of the EUREST-PLUS
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Cigarette smoking; Cigarettes; depression; Drug addiction; Drug therapy; Health care; Health promotion; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Pharmacology; Polls & surveys; quit smoking; Regression analysis; Research facilities; Smoking; smoking cessation; Tobacco
• ISSN: 1617-9625; 1617-9625
• DOI: 10.18332/tid/95145

Introduction: The current study explores quitting behaviours and use of cessation assistance among adult tobacco users with probable anxiety or depression (PAD) and in six European (EU) Member States (MS). Material and Methods: The EUREST-PLUS ITC Wave 1 Europe Survey was conducted with a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of 6,011 adult cigarette smokers from six European Union (EU) Member States (MS) (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain) in 2016. Results: Our study found that one in five smokers sampled from six EU MS had a diagnosis, treatment or positive screen for anxiety or depression, with rates of PAD varying between EU MS. Results of the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that respondents with PAD were more likely to have made a quit attempt in the last 12 months (AOR 1.75; 95%CI 1.45-2.11), compared to respondents without PAD. Among those respondents with PAD who used support the most frequently reported quit method was prescription-based quit smoking pharmacotherapy (15.4%) followed by e-cigarettes (13.7%) and NRT (11.3%). Person-to-person behavioral support (i.e. local quit services, face-to-face advice from a doctor or other health care professional, telephone or quitline services) was reported significantly more frequently among respondents with PAD compared to those without PAD. Conclusions: Given both pharmacological and non-pharmacological quit smoking aids have been shown to be safe, acceptable and effective for people with and without mental illness it is important that their use be promoted among smokers with anxiety and depression alongside behavioral counseling. Our findings support the need for interventions targeting health care professionals in providing smoking cessation assistance among this population of smokers. Acknowledgements: EUREST-PLUS is a Horizon2020 project conducted by researchers throughout Europe from both the six participating countries as well as other institution partners within Europe and abroad. Partnering organizations include the European Network on Smoking Prevention (Belgium), Kings College London (United Kingdom), German Cancer Research Centre (Germany), University of Maastricht (The Netherlands), University of Athens (Greece), Aer Pur Romania (Romania), European Respiratory Society (Switzerland), the University of Waterloo (Canada), the Catalan Institute of Oncology (Catalonia, Spain), Smoking or Health Hungarian Foundation (Hungary), Health Promotion Foundation (