Cessation Conversations and Quit Attempts: Differences by Ethnicity and Language Preference

Abstract

Objectives: Conversations about pictorial cigarette health warning labels (HWLs) encourage quit attempts, and prior research suggests prevalence of these conversations varies by ethnicity. We assessed the frequency of conversations about text-only HWLs among Latino and non-Latino white smokers and the relationship between conversations and subsequent quit attempts. Methods: Latino and non-Latino white adult smokers in the United States (N = 4403) were surveyed every 4 months over 2 years. Surveys queried smoking behaviors, recent quit attempts, HWL responses, including HWL conversations, and socio-demographic variables. Negative binomial generalized estimating equation (GEE) models regressed the frequency of HWL conversations on study variables. Logistic GEE models regressed quit attempts at follow-up surveys on responses from the prior wave, including frequency of HWL conversations and their interaction with ethnicity. Results: Spanish preference Latinos reported the most HWL conversations (85%), followed by English preference Latinos (59%), and non-Latino Whites (35%). More frequent HWL conversations predicted subsequent quit attempts (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.32, 2.30), but ethnicity did not moderate this effect. Conclusions: Latinos appear to talk more frequently about HWLs than non-Latino Whites but are no more likely to quit as a result. Cessation campaigns should use messages that encourage conversations about quitting.