Nicotine replacement therapy, professional therapy, snuff use and tobacco smoking:: a study of smoking cessation strategies in southern Sweden

Objectives: The strategies used to support smoking cessation among quitters were investigated according to year of smoking cessation and sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: The 2004 public health survey in Skane, Sweden, is a cross-sectional study. A total of 27 757 people aged 18-80 answered a postal questionnaire. The participation rate was 59%. Different strategies to support smoking cessation - that is, no therapy, nicotine replacement (NRT), professional therapy and snus (snuff) use, were investigated among quitters according to year of smoking cessation, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: 14.9% of the men and 18.1% of the women were daily smokers. The prevalence of daily snus use was 19.5% among men but only 2.3% among women. Stratifying the data according to year of smoking cessation (1938 - 2004) revealed a significant increase in active smoking cessation strategies such as NRT, professional therapy and snus use. NRT was more common among women (23.6%) than men (14.8%) among smokers who quit in 2000 - 4, but snus use was more common among men (30.4% versus 8.7%). No replacement or other therapy at all was significantly more common among women (63.6%) than men (52.1%). People aged 35 - 80 years used more nicotine replacement than people aged 18 - 34, while men aged 18 - 34 used snus to quit smoking significantly more than men aged 55-80. Conclusions: Snus is used commonly among men as a support for smoking cessation in Sweden. Women use pharmacological NRT to a greater extent, but this can probably not compensate for the much higher extent of snuff use as a cessation strategy among men.