Predictors of successful short-term tobacco cessation in UK resident female Bangladeshi tobacco chewers

Aim: To identify predictors of short-term smokeless tobacco cessation in Bangladeshi women resident in the United Kingdom.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: A tobacco cessation service offering culturally tailored smokeless tobacco cessation support.

Participants: A total of 419 Bangladeshi women chewing paan with tobacco.

Measurements: Demographics, tobacco use and dependence and cessation attempt process and outcomes.

Findings: Client mean age was 48.92 [95% confidence interval (CI) 47.5, 50.34] years and the mean area social deprivation score was 3.65 (95% CI 3.33, 3.97). Mean daily smokeless tobacco intakes, as paan, was 9.96 (95% CI 9.22, 10.7); 69.8% were recruited from primary care, 78.8% received behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and the remainder behavioural support alone. Self-reported 4-week continuous abstinence was 58.3%, predicted by NRT use [odds ratio (OR) = 4.93, 95% CI 2.02, 12.00], community recruitment (OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.01, 3.35) and relatively lower social deprivation (IMD) score (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.18, 3.33).

Conclusion: Bangladeshi women in the UK attending clinics to help cessation of paan with tobacco appear to be more likely to be successful in the short term if they use nicotine replacement therapy, are recruited via the community and have relatively lower levels of social deprivation.