Smokeless tobacco cessation in South Asian communities: a multi‐centre prospective cohort study

AIM: To evaluate smokeless tobacco cessation in communities of South Asian origin. DESIGN: Multi-centre prospective cohort study. SETTING: Three tobacco cessation services offering specialist smokeless tobacco cessation outreach clinic support to South Asians (Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani) resident in England. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 239 South Asian participants seeking to stop smokeless tobacco use between November 2010 and December 2011. MEASUREMENTS: Socio-demographics, tobacco use and dependence, self-reported abstinence at 4 weeks and satisfaction measures. FINDINGS: Participants' mean age was 45 standard deviation (SD) = 13 years, were predominantly female (76%), of Bangladeshi origin (74%), either home carers (53%) or not working (29%). Sixty-three per cent were recruited from community locations, 21% through a clinical contact and 16% through friends and family. Mean daily number of smokeless tobacco intakes was 10 (SD = 7) and the mean dependence score was 4.5 (SD = 1.9). Sixty-three per cent of participants achieved continuous abstinence 4 weeks after quitting. Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) versus not using it OR = 3.47, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25, 9.62 and below median (≤ 8) daily smokeless tobacco intakes (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.07, 3.40) predicted successful abstinence. CONCLUSION: South Asian smokeless tobacco users resident in England accessing services to help them stop appear to have short-term success rates comparable with smokers attending stop-smoking services, with higher success rates being reported by those using nicotine replacement therapy.