Association Between SARS-CoV-2–Related Experiences and Smoking Cessation in Switzerland: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

The COVID 19 pandemic may have influenced smoking behaviours, including decisions to quit smoking. This study aimed to investigate smoking cessation following the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and to assess whether cessation differed according to participants’ SARS-CoV-2–related experiences. Data from SérocoViD, a Swiss repeated cross-sectional study comprising five surveys in the canton of Vaud, was used. A total of 2454 participants aged 15 years and older from the first (May–July 2020) and third (February 2021) surveys were included. Association between SARS-CoV-2 infection experiences and cigarette smoking cessation were analyzed using logistic regression; both factors were unadjusted and adjusted for age and gender. Overall, 21.2% of participants reported being ex-smokers, but only a small proportion of the entire study population (i.e., including both smokers and non-smokers) reported quitting during the pandemic (0.5% in the first sample, 1.5% in the second). Participants who were smokers before the pandemic and had undergone diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 showed a trend toward smoking cessation during the pandemic (non-adjusted odds ratio = 2.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.79–5.87). No such trends were found with a positive diagnostic test or serological result, or with COVID-19-like symptoms. These findings suggest that individuals seeking testing may be more health-conscious, potentially contributing to smoking cessation. For these individuals, the pandemic may represent a critical opportunity to promote smoking cessation, which should be leveraged by healthcare professionals and public health policies.