Do components of current 'hardcore smoker' definitions predict quitting behaviour?

• Published in: Addiction (Abingdon, England) England), 2012-02, Vol.107 (2), p.434-440
• Main Authors: Ip, David T., Cohen, Joanna E., Bondy, Susan J., Chaiton, Michael O., Selby, Peter, Schwartz, Robert, McDonald, Paul, Garcia, John, Ferrence, Roberta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addiction; Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Behavioural psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Comparative analysis; Consumption; Definition of 'hardcore' smoker; Drug addiction; Evaluation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; hardening hypothesis; Humans; longitudinal telephone survey; Male; Medical sciences; Motivation; Ontario; Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS); Polls & surveys; Prediction; Predictions; predictive ability; Psychological effects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; quitting; quitting behaviour; Recurrence; Regression analysis; resistant smoker; Smoking; Smoking - psychology; Smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - psychology; Smoking Prevention; Socioeconomic Factors; Tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Tobacco Use Disorder - prevention & control; Tobacco Use Disorder - psychology; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0965-2140; 1360-0443
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03674.x

ABSTRACT Aims  It has been hypothesized that the smoking population is represented by an increasingly ‘hardcore’ group of smokers who are resistant to quitting. Many definitions of ‘hardcore smokers’ have been used, but their predictive validity is unknown. To evaluate whether ‘hardcore smoker’ definition components predict quitting behaviours and which combinations of ‘hardcore’ components are most predictive. Design, setting and participants  Longitudinal, random telephone survey of a representative sample of adult smokers in Ontario, Canada (n = 4130, recruited 2005–08 and followed for 1 year). Measurements  Multiple logistic regression models were compared to evaluate the predictive ability of ‘hardcore’ components (high daily cigarette consumption, high nicotine dependence, being a daily smoker, history of long‐term smoking, no quit intention and no life‐time quit attempt) on three outcomes [continued smoking, not attempting to quit and having unsuccessful quit attempt(s)]. Findings  All ‘hardcore’ components predicted having no quit attempt and continued smoking during follow‐up (P