Age, gender, class affect quitting smoking

LONDON, May 27 (UPI) -- A person's age, gender and place of residence all affect his or her chances of quitting smoking, researchers in Britain say.

A study commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and undertaken by the United Kingdom Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, reviewed studies from between 1990 and 2007 to establish success rates for the National Health Service smoking cessation services.

The study found older smokers are more likely than younger smokers to quit successfully, and some men appear to be more successful than others at quitting.

Women have a harder time quitting tan men, despite the fact more women attend smoking cessation services. In addition, disadvantaged groups -- women more disadvantaged than men -- face greater challenges when giving up smoking, the researchers say.

The findings suggest women are highly motivated to quit smoking but men may be more likely to succeed when they access services to help them stop.

Several factors seem to explain the lower success rates of women, such as less confidence in quitting, the inter-relationship between genders and deprivation and differences in the meaning and role of tobacco in men and women's lives.

The findings are published in the Journal of Public Health.