Is it harder to quit smoking for rural or urban Americans?

Does accessibility to combustible cigarettes and/or smoking cessation aid greatly affect the prevalence of smoking? While a user’s willpower is the greatest driving force behind how to quit smoking successfully, a new study has unearthed evidence that suggests rural-living Americans have a harder time giving up tobacco products when compared to urban-living Americans. Here’s what we know about it. 

The study

The study entitled, “Trends in Rural and Urban Cigarette Smoking Quit Ratios in the U.S. From 2010 to 2020” outlined exactly what the name suggests. The team of researchers was led by Maria Parker, an assistant professor of epidemiology, and biostatistics at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, Indiana. With the findings published in the Jama Network open, the study examined both current smokers—defined as having smoked one or more combustible cigarettes in the past month and former smokers—defined as having smoked combustible cigarettes in the past year. The researchers only analyzed those who have smoked at least 100 combustible cigarettes in a lifetime.

What were the results?

Between the years 2010 to 2020, a larger proportion of rural Americans smoked cigarettes—and their odds of quitting smoking were lower—when compared to those living in urban areas. Combustible cigarette smoking prevalence is higher in rural than urban US communities and people in rural vs urban areas are more likely to die prematurely, which has been associated with reduced healthcare access and smoking cessation barriers.

Of the 161,348 cigarette smokers analyzed, 33.5% were former smokers. Current smoking prevalence was higher in rural than urban areas—19.2% vs 14.4%—whereas quit ratios were similar in rural and urban areas—52.9% and 53.9%.

“Our findings support that a persistent rural/urban disparity exists. Not only were smoking prevalence estimates higher in rural areas but quit ratios were lower. Rural residents may face more barriers to using smoking cessation services”, said Parker.  

Want our expert opinion on how to quit smoking? While buying e-cigs online isn’t the solution for everyone, it allows those living in more remote areas access to products that may not be available in their local shops. Not only does this offer convenience but it narrows the gap of accessibility that’s faced by rural smokers.

Do you think it’s harder to get quit smoking aid in rural communities? Drop your opinion in the comments section below.