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Tombor, Ildiko, Shahab, Lion, Brown, Jamie, Notley, Caitlin 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0876-3304 and West, Robert
(2015)
Does non-smoker identity following quitting predict long-term abstinence? Evidence from a population survey in England.
Addictive Behaviors, 45.
pp. 99-103.
ISSN 0306-4603
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Abstract
Aims: ‘Categorical self-labels’ (e.g. thinking of oneself as a smoker or non-smoker) are important aspects of identity that can have a fundamental influence on behaviour. To explore the role identity aspects relating to smoking can play in smoking cessation and relapse, this study assessed the prospective associations between taking on a non-smoker identity following quitting and long-term abstinence. Methods: A representative sample of 574 ex-smokers in England who quit smoking in the past year was followed-up at three (N=179) and six months (N=163). Post-quit identity relating to smoking (‘I still think of myself as a smoker’ or ‘I think of myself as a nonsmoker’), and demographic and smoking-related characteristics were assessed at baseline. Self-reported smoking abstinence was assessed at follow-ups. Results: Non-smoker identity was reported by 80.3% (95%CI 76.8-83.4) of recent exsmokers. Younger age (p=0.017) and longer abstinence (p<0.001) were independently associated with a post-quit non-smoker identity. After adjusting for covariates, non-smoker identity (p=0.032) and length of abstinence at baseline (p<0.001) were associated with continued abstinence at three months follow-up, and baseline length of abstinence (p=0.003) predicted continued abstinence at six months. Conclusions: The majority of people who quit smoking recently consider themselves as nonsmokers. Younger people and those who have been abstinent for longer are more likely to take on a non-smoker identity. Ex-smokers who make this mental transition following a quit attempt appear more likely to remain abstinent in the medium term than those who still think of themselves as smokers.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | smoking cessation,smoker identity,ex-smokers,smoking toolkit study,representative sample |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health |
| Depositing User: | Pure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2015 21:25 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Oct 2023 01:33 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/53527 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.01.026 |
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