Motives for Smoking Cessation are Associated with Stage of Readiness to Quit Smoking and Sociodemographics among German Industrial Employees

Abstract

Purpose. To test the relationships among particular motives for smoking cessation, stage of readiness to quit (preparation or contemplation), and sociodemographic characteristics. Design. A cross-sectional study to examine attitudes toward and use of health promotion at the worksite, using a self-administered questionnaire. Setting. Two German metal companies. Subjects. Of 1641 responding employees (response rate 65% in company A and 44% in company B), 360 smokers who intended to quit immediately (n = 105) or in the near future (n = 255) were analyzed. Measures. The questionnaire comprised of sociodemographic characteristics, smoking behavior, smoking history, readiness to quit smoking, motives to quit, such as coworkers' complaints and health-related or financial concerns. Chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results. Health-related reasons (94%) predominated financial (27%) or image-related (14%) reasons for smoking cessation. Participants in the cessation preparation group were more likely to report an awareness of being addicted (79.6% vs. 58.2%; p < .001) and the negative public image (22.5% vs. 11.6%; p < .01) as reasons for quitting compared with those in the contemplation group. In multivariable regression models, the motives for smoking cessation, including reduced performance, family's and coworkers' complaints, pregnancy/children, and negative public image, but not health-related and financial concerns, differed significantly by gender, age, marital status, education, and occupational status. Conclusions. Motives for smoking cessation vary according to the individual's level of readiness to quit and sociodemographic background.