There are a range of cessation services and products available in New Zealand to provide support to smokers who want to quit. This includes the heavily subsidised provision of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). It is important to assess the public’s awareness and attitudes towards quitting and NRT to understand how to provide effective cessation services.
Methodology
The 2012 Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS) included two questions that assessed people’s attitudes towards quitting smoking. Responses to these questions were compared by smoking status (current smokers: those who smoked at least monthly, and ex-smokers: those who ever smoked but did not smoke at the time of the survey, and never smokers), ethnicity, neighbourhood deprivation status, age, gender, and educational background. Statistically significant differences (p < .05) are reported.
Key Results
- The majority of New Zealand adults agreed that people who want to quit smoking know where to access help, although fewer young people (aged 15-24 years) appear to agree.
- People appear to be less sure of the efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), one of the main cessation aides used in New Zealand. Half of New Zealand adults did not know whether NRT was more harmful than smoking cigarettes.
- About one-quarter of current smokers believed that NRT is more harmful than tobacco cigarettes.