Smoking cessation outcomes by employment status and education attainment after intensive smoking cessation intervention
4 affiliations
- 1WHO-CC for Evidence-based Clinical Health Promotion, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen
- 2Section for General Medicine, The Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen
- 3Research Unit for Diet and Health, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital
- 4The Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
Abstract
Introduction: Intensive smoking cessation interventions (I-SCIs) are among the most effective approaches to smoking cessation. Although socioeconomic inequalities in smoking are well-established, smoking cessation outcomes among detailed educational and employment subgroups receiving I-SCI remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to examine smoking cessation outcomes by educational attainment and employment status among participants receiving I-SCI.
Methods: This nationwide prospective cohort study was conducted in Denmark and included participants aged ≥18 years from the Danish STOPbase who received an I-SCI between January 2006 and June 2023. I-SCI comprised a structured behavioural and educational smoking cessation programme of ≥5-sessions, including pharmaceutical therapy. The primary outcome was continuous cessation from smoking at 6 months, self-reported by structured interviews.
Results: Among 101,549 participants, 34.1% achieved abstinence at 6-months. Cessation rates showed a clear educational gradient, ranging from 38.5% among participants with long-term education to 28.2% among those with no education or primary school education. After adjustment, participants with no education or primary school education were less likely to achieve smoking cessation (risk ratio (RR), 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70–0.83]). Employment status was also associated with smoking cessation outcomes, although the pattern was less consistent and did not show a clear socioeconomic gradient.
Conclusion: Higher educational attainment was consistently associated with greater continuous smoking cessation success after I-SCI, whereas associations with employment status were more heterogeneous. Educational attainment showed a clearer socioeconomic gradient in cessation outcomes than employment status, although residual confounding factors and health-selection effects may have influenced the observed associations.
Related
- Pilot Feasibility Study of a Community Health Worker-delivered Tobacco Cessation Intervention During Pregnancy: The Smoke-Free HOPE Randomized Controlled Trial
- Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET) Trajectories Between Adolescence and Early Adulthood and Subsequent Mental Health
- Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Compared with Basic Health Education for Tobacco Cessation: A Systematic Review
- Integrating science and design in the development of Detour: A mobile intervention for youth smoking cessation
- Outcomes of the Integrated Scaling Approach: scaling an evidence-based employment intervention in public mental health systems
BibTeX
@article{roga2026smoking,
title = {{Smoking cessation outcomes by employment status and education attainment after intensive smoking cessation intervention}},
author = {Nawal Fayyaz Roga and Mie Sylow Liljendahl and Berit Lillienthal Heitmann and Hanne Tønnesen},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1834405},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1834405/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Smoking cessation outcomes by employment status and education attainment after intensive smoking cessation intervention
AU - Nawal Fayyaz Roga
AU - Mie Sylow Liljendahl
AU - Berit Lillienthal Heitmann
AU - Hanne Tønnesen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1834405
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1834405/full
AB - Introduction: Intensive smoking cessation interventions (I-SCIs) are among the most effective approaches to smoking cessation. Although socioeconomic inequalities in smoking are well-established, smoking cessation outcomes among detailed educational and employment subgroups receiving I-SCI remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to examine smoking cessation outcomes by educational attainment and employment status among participants receiving I-SCI. Methods: This nationwide prospective cohort study was conducted in Denmark and included participants aged ≥18 years from the Danish STOPbase who received an I-SCI between January 2006 and June 2023. I-SCI comprised a structured behavioural and educational smoking cessation programme of ≥5-sessions, including pharmaceutical therapy. The primary outcome was continuous cessation from smoking at 6 months, self-reported by structured interviews. Results: Among 101,549 participants, 34.1% achieved abstinence at 6-months. Cessation rates showed a clear educational gradient, ranging from 38.5% among participants with long-term education to 28.2% among those with no education or primary school education. After adjustment, participants with no education or primary school education were less likely to achieve smoking cessation (risk ratio (RR), 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70–0.83]). Employment status was also associated with smoking cessation outcomes, although the pattern was less consistent and did not show a clear socioeconomic gradient. Conclusion: Higher educational attainment was consistently associated with greater continuous smoking cessation success after I-SCI, whereas associations with employment status were more heterogeneous. Educational attainment showed a clearer socioeconomic gradient in cessation outcomes than employment status, although residual confounding factors and health-selection effects may have influenced the observed associations.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -