Religiosity, social support, and smoking cessation among urban African American smokers

This study examined the relationship between religiosity, social support, and gender on smoking cessation among a sample of 498 urban African American smokers using the nicotine patch. Smoking status and social support were assessed at baseline, week 4, and month 6, while religiosity was assessed only at baseline. Logistic regression analyses indicated that neither baseline religiosity, social support, nor the interaction between baseline social support and gender predicted quitting at month 6. However, a significant positive association was found between females' social support at week 4 and their week 4 (OR=1.41, CI=1.11-1.78) quitting. Additionally, a significant positive association was found between males' social support at month 6 and their month 6 quitting (OR=1.50, CI=1.05-2.15). Our findings highlight the importance of social support during an active quit attempt for African American males and females and have implications for public health and medical interventions for African American smokers.