Intention to quit, attempt to quit, and use of cessation services to quit smoking among single mothers in the US

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States (US). The objective of this study was to examine the smoking behavior of single mothers and other women in terms of intention to quit, attempt to quit, and use of cessation services to quit smoking in the US. The analysis used data (n=96,007) of women over 18 years of age from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) in the US. The outcome variables were intention to quit, number of quit attempts, and use of cessation services. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to estimate the association of the outcome variables and single motherhood after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, equivalized income, education, occupation, and heaviness of smoking index. Adjusted odds ratios from logistic regressions showed that single mothers (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.96-1.32) and single women (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.97-1.43) were more likely to have intention to quit smoking than partnered women without dependent children but were less likely to have intention to quit compared to partnered mothers (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.11-1.49). However, single mothers (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.45-1.42) and partnered mothers (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.37-1.12) were less likely to use the quitline services compared to partnered women without dependent children. This is the first study to examine the extent to which the difference in patterns of smoking behavior occurs between single mothers and other women in the US.