Predictors of participation in a smoking cessation intervention group among low-income women

The predictors of participation in a smoking cessation group among low-income women were examined. Fifty smokers were recruited from a Midwestern community primary care setting serving an uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid population. Participants completed a questionnaire before the intervention, and eleven women chose to participate in the 6-week sessions. There were few differences between the control group (nonparticipants) and the intervention group. The intervention group had significantly higher intention-to-quit scores. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict group membership with age, self-efficacy, optimism, social support, nicotine dependence, intention-to-quit, and other smokers in the home as the predictor variables. The only two significant predictors of participation in the cessation intervention were self-efficacy and intention-to-quit smoking. The higher the intention-to-quit score and the lower the self-efficacy score (the belief that one can be successful in not smoking); the more likely these women were to participate in the group intervention. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical relevance as well as future research in the area. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.