Older Adults Who Smoke: Do They Engage with and Benefit from Web-based Smoking Cessation Interventions?

Abstract

Introduction: Older adults (OA) comprise +12% of US adult smokers; this fraction may increase as OA are projected to double over 40 years. OA quit rates are comparable to those of younger smokers; yet OA face barriers to receiving cessation services. Self-help web-based cessation interventions may address access barriers but a commonly held view is that OA lack the skills to use e-health technologies. The purpose of this study was to explore OAs’ level of engagement with web-based cessation interventions and cessation rates, compared to middle and younger adults. Methods: Secondary data analyses of an RCT (N=2637) of two web-based interventions for smoking cessation was conducted. The study was conducted online via two web-based interventions for smoking cessation in the United States. Participants were divided into age cohorts consistent with previous literature: young adults (YA; n=890/2637; age=18-39), middle-aged adults (MA; n=1308/2637; age=40-59), and OA (n=439/2637; age=60+). Baseline characteristics, login data, and self-reported 30-day-PPA at 12M post-randomization were collected. Results: OA had a greater mean number of logins than YA (7.7 vs. 4.9; IRR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.41; p=0.027) and a smaller number than MA (7.7 vs. 8.5; IRR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.91; p=0.001). OA quit smoking at the same rate as MA and YA (p=0.905). Conclusions: Results contradicted prior misconceptions as OA utilized web-delivered cessation interventions more than YA and quit smoking at the same rate as YA and MA.