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. 2010 Mar;100(3):547-54.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.150078. Epub 2009 Aug 20.

Individual, social-normative, and policy predictors of smoking cessation: a multilevel longitudinal analysis

Lois Biener  1 , William L Hamilton, Michael Siegel, Eileen M Sullivan
Affiliations

Individual, social-normative, and policy predictors of smoking cessation: a multilevel longitudinal analysis

Lois Biener et al. Am J Public Health. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed the prospective impact of individual, social-normative, and policy predictors of quit attempts and smoking cessation among Massachusetts adults.

Methods: We interviewed a representative sample of current and recent smokers in Massachusetts by telephone in 2001 through 2002 and then again twice at 2-year intervals. The unit of analysis was the 2-year transition from wave 1 to wave 2 and from wave 2 to wave 3. Predictors of quit attempts and abstinence of longer than 3 months were analyzed using multilevel analysis. Predictors included individual, social-normative, and policy factors.

Results: Multivariate analyses of 2-year transitions showed that perceptions of strong antismoking town norms were predictive of abstinence (odds ratio = 2.06; P < .01). Household smoking bans were the only policy associated with abstinence, but smoking bans at one's worksite were significant predictors of quit attempts.

Conclusions: Although previous research showed a strong relation between local policy and norms, we found no observable, prospective impact of local policy on smoking cessation over 2 years. Our findings provide clear support for the importance of strong antismoking social norms as a facilitator of smoking cessation.

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