Smoking cessation among sexual minority women: Differences in cigarette quit ratios across age, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation

Objective

Sexual minority (SM) women experience tobacco-related disparities and report a higher prevalence of cigarette use, as well as subgroup differences in use, but little is known about their quitting behavior. This study used data from a national sample of United States SM women to examine cigarette quit ratios overall and by age, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

Methods

Using baseline survey data from the Generations Study (2016–2017, N = 812), we calculated quit ratios among SM women reporting lifetime smoking (100+ cigarettes) who reported currently smoking “not at all” relative to those reporting smoking “every day or some days.” Quitting was compared across cohort, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, controlling for household income.

Results

SM women reporting lifetime smoking in the older cohort were significantly more likely to report quitting than those in the younger cohort. Bisexual women also reported a greater likelihood of quitting than gay/lesbian women. There was no association between race/ethnicity and the probability of quitting smoking.

Conclusions

SM women remain a priority for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. There is evidence that the probability of quitting cigarettes differs across sexual orientation and age cohorts, which has implications for tailoring of interventions and tobacco communications.