Acculturation differentially predicts smoking cessation among Latino men and women.

OBJECTIVES The current study examined the influence of gender, acculturation indicators, and their interaction on smoking cessation among Latinos. METHODS Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the main effects of gender, acculturation indicators, and their interactions on self-reported 7-day abstinence at 12-week follow-up among 271 Latino smokers seeking cessation counseling. RESULTS Analyses revealed significant main effects for several acculturation indicators and significant interactions of gender with number of years lived in the United States, proportion of life lived in the United States, and preferred media language (all P values <0.05). Follow-up analyses indicated no significant relationships between abstinence and acculturation indicators among women. Among men, abstinence rates increased with years in the United States, proportion of life in the United States, and preferred media language of English. CONCLUSIONS Greater acculturation predicted higher abstinence rates, but this relationship was restricted to men. This study is among the first to examine the effects of gender and acculturation on smoking abstinence among Latinos. Findings highlight the need for research focused on mechanisms underlying these relationships.