Longer duration of smoking abstinence is associated with waning cessation fatigue.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of a study examining the relationship between cessation fatigue and quit duration among adult former smokers. The study aims to determine if cessation fatigue decreases as abstinence is maintained over a longer period. The study utilizes data from an international cohort survey of former smokers from Australia, Canada, England, and the United States. The study hypothesizes that cessation fatigue will be associated with quit duration, with lower cessation fatigue ratings seen among those with longer quit duration.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from an international cohort survey of former smokers from Australia, Canada, England, and the United States.
* The study examines the relationship between cessation fatigue and quit duration among adult former smokers.
* The study hypothesizes that cessation fatigue will be associated with quit duration, with lower cessation fatigue ratings seen among those with longer quit duration.
* The study uses a single question to measure cessation fatigue: "to what extent are you tired of trying to stay quit?"
* Quit duration is assessed by asking former smokers "how long ago did you quit smoking?" with six response options ranging from up to three months ago to 3-5 years ago.
* Covariates include country of residence, age, gender, ethnicity, income, education, pre-quit cigarettes per day, quit difficulty, use of stop smoking medications, use of nonpharmacological quit aids, and use of electronic cigarettes as quit aids.
* The study uses traditional significance levels set at p<.05 (two-tailed) and rescaled cross-sectional sampling weights to ensure estimates are as representative as possible.

Main Message:
The main message of the text is that cessation fatigue is highest soon after quitting smoking but declines over time for those who remain abstinent. Understanding the mechanisms by which cessation fatigue is related to abstinence could potentially offer insights into ways to help individuals sustain quitting. The study's findings suggest that further efforts are needed to delineate how cessation fatigue is influenced by smoker characteristics and to study how cessation fatigue changes in relationship to duration of abstinence from smoking over a longer timeframe. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering cessation fatigue in smoking cessation interventions and the potential benefits of addressing this factor in smoking cessation treatment.

Heckman BW, Cummings KM, Stoltman JJK, et al. Longer duration of smoking abstinence is associated with waning cessation fatigue. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2019;115:12-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2018.11.011