Abstinence rates among college cigarette smokers enrolled in a randomized clinical trial evaluating Quit and Win contests: The impact of concurrent hookah use

Objective: To examine baseline characteristics and biochemically verified 1-, 4-, and 6-month tobacco quit rates among college students enrolled in a Quit and Win cessation trial, comparing those who concurrently smoke both hookah and cigarettes with those who deny hookah use. Methods: Analyses were conducted on data from 1217 college students enrolled in a Quit and Win tobacco cessation randomized clinical trial from 2010-2012. Multivariable logistic regression (MLR) analyses examined group differences in baseline characteristics and cotinine verified 30-day abstinence at 1, 4, and 6-month follow-up, adjusting for baseline covariates. Results: Participants smoked 11.5(± 8.1) cigarettes per day on 28.5(± 3.8) days/month, and 22% smoked hookah in the past 30. days. Hookah smokers (n = 270) were more likely to be male (p < 0.0001), younger (p < 0.0001), report more binge drinking (p < 0.0001) and score higher on impulsivity (p < 0.001). MLR results indicate that hookah users, when compared to non-users, had a 36% decrease in odds of self-reported 30-day abstinence at 4-months (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.93, p = 0.02) and a 63% decrease in odds in biochemically verified continuous abstinence at 6-months (OR = 0.37, CI = 0.14-0.99, p = 0.05). Conclusion: College cigarette smokers who concurrently use hookah display several health risk factors and demonstrate lower short and long-term tobacco abstinence rates.