Helping women quit smoking: Results of a community intervention program

Objectives. This intervention was implemented to reduce the prevalence of c igarette smoking among women. Methods. We used community organization approaches to create coalitions and task forces to develop and implement a multicomponent intervention in 2 co unties in Vermont and New Hampshire, with a special focus on providing supp ort to help women quit smoking. Evaluation was by preintervention and posti ntervention random-digit-dialed telephone surveys in the intervention count ies and the 2 matched comparison counties. Results. In the intervention counties, compared with the comparison countie s, the odds of a woman being a smoker after 4 years of program activities w ere 0.88 (95% confidence interval=0.78, 1.00) (P=.02, 1-tailed); women smok ers' perceptions of community norms about women smoking were significantly more negative (P=.002, 1-tailed); and the quit rate in the past 5 years was significantly greater (25.4% vs 21.4%; P=.02, 1-tailed). Quit rates were s ignificantly higher in the intervention counties among younger women (aged 18 to 44 years); among women with household annual incomes of $25 000 or le ss; and among heavier smokers (those who smoked 25 or more cigarettes daily ). Conclusions. In these rural counties, community participation in planning a nd implementing interventions was accompanied by favorable changes in women 's smoking behavior.