Despite Covid-19 concerns, cigar smokers are smoking more, survey finds

An online survey involving nearly 800 cigar smokers found that majority of the people surveyed intended to quit smoking due to concerns about elevated health risks if they contracted COVID-19, more than twice as many reported they increased rather than decreased their tobacco use since the pandemic’s onset. “We are not sure why many participants reported increasing their tobacco use, but it is possible that they are stressed or anxious, they are bored at home, they stockpiled tobacco products in advance of sheltering-in-place orders, or they are not able to easily access evidence-based cessation resources like pharmacotherapy or behavioural support,” said Sarah Kowitt PhD, MPH, the paper’s first author, and an assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine. This finding was significant, Kowitt said, “because cigar use is associated with multiple cancers and other health effects.” However, Black or African American participants, those who used a quitline, and those with higher COVID-19 risk perceptions had higher intentions to quit using tobacco due to COVID-19 and higher odds of making a quit attempt since COVID-19 started. “It is important, especially during the pandemic, that we provide support for tobacco users who want to quit smoking, A growing body of research suggests that tobacco users, compared to non-users, may be at greater risk for experiencing COVID-19 complications, so it is critical that we identify opportunities and approaches to encourage tobacco users to consider quitting and to provide them the support they need to quit successfully,” said Kowitt.