Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke and want to quit – a cohort profile from the Koori Quit Pack study

Abstract Introduction Reducing the prevalence of smoking is a national priority, however there is limited evidence on what smoking cessation supports are utilised, accessible, and effective among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper describes a cohort profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke and want to quit to inform tailored smoking cessation interventions. Method Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and Victoria, who were smokers wanting to quit, were recruited through health services and online advertisements from May to October 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise participant characteristics and explore factors associated with previous use and adherence to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and intention to use Quitline services. Results 165 participants were recruited. Almost all (93.9%) had made at least one previous quit attempt, and 40.6% had used behavioural support. The majority believed NRT was safe (80.6%), effective (70.3%) and tried NRT previously (89%). Preferred forms of NRT for current quit attempts were nicotine patches (85.5%) and inhalers (69.7%). Intention to use Quitline was found to be higher among participants aged 31-45 years compared to participants under 30 years (AOR=3.12, 95%CI, 1.01-9.76). Conclusion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are highly motivated to be smoke-free. However, efforts to enhance access and adherence to cessation supports are needed. The rapid recruitment and interest in the mailout cessation support should be scaled up to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to quit. Implications The Australian Government has recently launched a national tobacco strategy which includes targets for reducing smoking prevalence to less than 27% among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In order to meet these targets Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke and want to quit should have access to culturally safe and responsive support. We found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made quit attempt, accessed evidence-based smoking cessation care, and have positive attitudes towards NRT. However, acknowledging relapse, further evidence is required to understand the factors associated with sustained quitting.