Self-reported depression and anxiety and healthcare professional interactions regarding smoking cessation and nicotine vaping: Findings from 2018 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Survey

Bernadett E Tildy; Ann McNeill; Katherine East; Shannon Gravely; Geoffrey T Fong; K Michael Cummings; Ron Borland; Gary C K Chan; Carmen C W Lim; Coral Gartner; Hua-Hie Yong; Leonie S Brose

doi:10.18332/tpc/168288

Self-reported depression and anxiety and healthcare professional interactions regarding smoking cessation and nicotine vaping: Findings from 2018 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Survey

Tob Prev Cessat. 2023 Aug 2:9:26. doi: 10.18332/tpc/168288. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Bernadett E Tildy^{1

2}, Ann McNeill^{1

2}, Katherine East¹, Shannon Gravely³, Geoffrey T Fong^{3

4

5}, K Michael Cummings⁶, Ron Borland⁷, Gary C K Chan⁸, Carmen C W Lim^{8

9}, Coral Gartner¹⁰, Hua-Hie Yong¹¹, Leonie S Brose^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Addictions Department, King's College London, Addiction Sciences Building, London, United Kingdom.
² SPECTRUM Consortium, London, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
⁴ School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
⁵ Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States.
⁷ School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
⁹ School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁰ NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.
¹¹ School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Abstract

Introduction: People with mental health conditions are disproportionately affected by smoking-related diseases and death. The aim of this study was to assess whether health professional (HP) interactions regarding smoking cessation and nicotine vaping products (NVPs) differ by mental health condition.

Methods: The cross-sectional 2018 International Tobacco Control Four Country (Australia, Canada, England, United States) Smoking and Vaping Survey data included 11040 adults currently smoking or recently quit. Adjusted weighted logistic regressions examined associations between mental health (self-reported current depression and/or anxiety) and visiting a HP in last 18 months; receiving advice to quit smoking; discussing NVPs with a HP; and receiving a recommendation to use NVPs.

Results: Overall, 16.1% self-reported depression and anxiety, 7.6% depression only, and 6.6% anxiety only. Compared with respondents with no depression/anxiety, those with depression (84.7%, AOR=2.65; 95% CI: 2.17-3.27), anxiety (82.2%, AOR=2.08; 95% CI: 1.70-2.57), and depression and anxiety (87.6%, AOR=3.74; 95% CI: 3.19-4.40) were more likely to have visited a HP. Among those who had visited a HP, 47.9% received advice to quit smoking, which was more likely among respondents with depression (AOR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.34-1.86), and NVP discussions were more likely among those with depression and anxiety (AOR=1.63; 95% CI: 1.29-2.06). Of the 6.1% who discussed NVPs, 33.5% received a recommendation to use them, with no difference by mental health.

Conclusions: People with anxiety and/or depression who smoke were more likely to visit a HP than those without, but only those with depression were more likely to receive cessation advice, and only those with depression and anxiety were more likely to discuss NVPs. There are missed opportunities for HPs to deliver cessation advice. NVP discussions and receiving a positive recommendation to use them were rare overall.

Keywords: anxiety; cessation advice; cessation support; depression; e-cigarette; health professional discussions; mental health; quit smoking; smoking cessation; vaping products.

Abstract

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