Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 May 15;179(10):1182-7.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwu041. Epub 2014 Apr 3.

The association of spousal smoking status with the ability to quit smoking: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Laura K Cobb, Mara A McAdams-DeMarco, Rachel R Huxley, Mark Woodward, Silvia Koton, Josef Coresh, Cheryl A M Anderson

The association of spousal smoking status with the ability to quit smoking: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Laura K Cobb et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Studies have shown that smoking status tends to be concordant within spouse pairs. This study aimed to estimate the association of spousal smoking status with quitting smoking in US adults. We analyzed data from 4,500 spouse pairs aged 45-64 years from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort, sampled from 1986 to 1989 from 4 US communities and followed up every 3 years for a total of 9 years. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to calculate the odds ratio of quitting smoking given that one's spouse is a former smoker or a current smoker compared to a never smoker. Among men and women, being married to a current smoker decreased the odds of quitting smoking (for men, odds ratio (OR) = 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29, 0.46; for women, OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.68). Among women only, being married to a former smoker increased the odds of quitting smoking (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.53). In conclusion, spouses of current smokers are less likely to quit, whereas women married to former smokers are more likely to quit. Smoking cessation programs and clinical advice should consider targeting couples rather than individuals.

Keywords: smoking; smoking cessation; spouses.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Agaku IT, King BA, Dube SR. Current cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(44):889–894. - PubMed
    1. Adhikari B, Kahende J, Malarcher A, et al. Smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses—United States, 2000–2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(45):1226–1228. - PubMed
    1. Escobedo LG, Peddicord JP. Smoking prevalence in US birth cohorts: the influence of gender and education. Am J Public Health. 1996;86(2):231–236. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Malarcher A, Dube S, Shaw L, et al. Quitting smoking among adults—United States, 2001–2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(44):1513–1519. - PubMed
    1. Sutton GC. Do men grow to resemble their wives, or vice versa? J Biosoc Sci. 1993;25(1):25–29. - PubMed

Publication types