Smoking behavior and cessation experiences among current smokers living in Ankara, Turkey

The implementation of effective smoking cessation programs in countries with high smoking prevalence rates such as Turkey is a major public health priority.  Nonetheless, few studies have documented the demand for such programs or the smoking experience of current smokers.  148 currently smoking adults were recruited in Ankara, Turkey.  About half (44%) were female, with an average age of 38 years.  About half (43%) reported smoking their first cigarette of the day within 30 minutes of waking.   

Perceptions of and triggers for smoking were generally similar for men and women. Of exception, women were twice as likely to report smoking because of family pressures (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 0.9, 4.0) and social pressures (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.0).  The most commonly reported reason to quit was that respondents ‘would be proud of quitting’ (68%), although women were 57% less likely to endorse this statement then men (OR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.88).  On average, participants reported 1.3 quit attempts in the past year.  Twenty-six percent of respondents who reported attempting to quit (i.e., attempters) used some type of quit aid.   Attempters were equally likely to be female than non-attempters (44% vs. 43%; p>0.05) but were significantly younger (M: 35.5, SD: 8.9) than non-attempters (M: 40.6, SD: 10.5, p=0.002).  They also were significantly less likely to report smoking their first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking up compared to non-attempters (30% vs. 57% TTF<30 minutes, p=0.003). 

The desire to quit appears to be strong among current adult smokers in Ankara.  Public health efforts should capitalize on health concerns related to smoking and increase their efforts to reach older smokers and those who are heavily addicted to cigarettes.  Our data, although preliminary, serve as a call for targeted, tailored smoking cessation services for women.