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Table 6 Distribution of the 539 ex-smokers and the 416a current smokers before lockdown

From: Factors associated with a change in smoking habit during the first COVID-19 lockdown: an Italian cross-sectional study among ever-smokers

Characteristics

Worsening in smoking habit (multiple unconditional logistic regression analysis)b

Improvement in smoking habit (multinomial logistic regression analysis)c

Relapsing

13.2% of 539 subjects

Increasing n° of cigarettes per day

32.7% of 416a subjects

Quitting smoking

10.1% on 416a subjects

Still current smokers, but Decreasing n° of cigarettes/ per day

13.5% of 416a subjects

OR (95% CI)

relapse vs not relapse

OR (95% CI)

increase vs not increase

OR (95% CI)

quit vs not quitting and no decrease

OR (95% CI)

decrease vs not quitting and no decrease

Stressors related to COVID-19

 Fear of being infected and getting sick -d

2.42 (1.04–5.64)

2.03 (1.11–3.70)

2.62 (0.73–9.34)

0.78 (0.36–1.66)

 Fear of infecting others -d

1.74 (0.94–3.20)

2.00 (1.18–3.38)

0.96 (0.41–2.25)

0.93 (0.45–1.96)

 Sense of powerlessness in protecting oneself from contagion -d

2.28 (1.13–4.58)

2.53 (1.46–4.40)

2.28 (0.85–6.12)

0.82 (0.39–1.72)

 Sense of powerlessness in protecting loved ones from contagion -d

1.80 (0.98–3.31)

2.71 (1.60–4.58)

0.94 (0.41–2.14)

1.03 (0.50–2.15)

 Fear of losing loved ones due to virus -d

1.78 (0.90–3.51)

4.18 (2.14–8.15)

1.12 (0.43–2.92)

1.03 (0.45–2.37)

 Fear of dying due to the virus -d

2.24 (1.15–4.34)

2.45 (1.44–4.19)

1.63 (0.66–4.04)

0.96 (0.48–1.95)

 Anxiety in listening to news of the epidemic -d

3.62 (1.74–7.50)

1.90 (1.13–3.22)

1.31 (0.57–3.04)

1.27 (0.61–2.64)

Stressors due to isolation

 Impossibility/ fear of approaching health facilities while needed -d

1.86 (1.03–3.37)

1.25 (0.74–2.13)

1.77 (0.76–4.09)

0.81 (0.38–1.74)

 Fear of separating from loved ones for the quarantine regime -d

1.59 (0.86–2.92)

1.64 (0.96–2.81)

2.39 (0.91–6.27)

1.97 (0.82–4.69)

 Sense of powerlessness due to isolation -d

2.79 (1.48–5.27)

1.98 (1.18–3.34)

0.64 (0.27–1.49)

0.99 (0.47–2.09)

 Boredom due to isolationd

2.74 (1.47–5.10)

1.40 (0.82–2.38)

0.83 (0.34–1.99)

1.33 (0.60–2.93)

 Feelings of loneliness due to isolationd

3.12 (1.69–5.78)

1.73 (1.01–2.96)

1.04 (0.47–2.30)

1.07 (0.51–2.26)

Social issues resulting from lockdown

 Fear of being judged by the neighbors for exits dictated by reasons of need/work/etc. (e)

2.39 (1.40–4.07)

1.12 (0.71–1.75)

0.73 (0.35–1.50)

0.70 (0.37–1.32)

 Fear of being socially excluded due to the origin of regions affected by the virus (e)

1.42 (0.84–2.39)

1.30 (0.85–1.99)

0.90 (0.46–1.77)

0.51 (0.27–0.96)

 Worsening of family relationships during quarantine (e)

2.29 (1.35–3.88)

1.86 (1.22–2.84)

0.82 (0.42–1.62)

0.78 (0.42–1.42)

 Fear that nothing will be like before lockdown (9 March, 2020) d

1.80 (0.87–3.76)

3.16 (1.65–6.04)

1.94 (0.61–6.21)

0.67 (0.30–1.52)

Professional and school issues

 Fear of losing livelihoods/being fired (e)

2.00 (1.17–3.42)

1.05 (0.66–1.67)

1.17 (0.58–2.35)

0.81 (0.42–1.57)

 Reduction IN work and economic opportunities due to the need to stay at home with children because the closure of schools (e)

1.72 (1.01–2.94)

0.62 (0.37–1.03)

0.82 (0.38–1.77)

0.95 (0.48–1.89)

 Reduction in economic opportunities for redundancy fund (for company limitations from COVID-19) (e)

1.29 (0.76–2.20)

1.37 (0.87–2.15)

1.04 (0.51–2.10)

1.19 (0.63–2.25)

 Difficulty in managing children and teaching online (e)

1.04 (0.59–1.83)

0.80 (0.48–1.35)

0.97 (0.45–2.13)

0.94 (0.48–1.85)

 Difficulty in adapting to smart working (e)

1.14 (0.64–2.04)

1.54 (0.94–2.52)

1.69 (0.82–3.48)

0.99 (0.50–1.97)

  1. Distribution of the 539 ex-smokers before lockdown and the 416a current smokers before lockdown according to a self-reported worsening of smoking habit (relapse for ex-smokers before lockdown or increase in the number of cigarettes per day for current smokers before lockdown) and a self-reported improvement in smoking habit (i.e., smoking cessation or reduction in the number of cigarettes per day) due to the COVID-19 lockdown, overall and by selected stressors. Corresponding odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). (northern Italy, 2020)
  2. SCS Smoking Cessation Service, GHQ General Health Questionnaire, STAI State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
  3. aOf the total 423 current smokers before lockdown, seven subjects did not report their change in smoking habit during lockdown
  4. bEstimated by unconditional logistic regression models after adjustment for sex, age, group of participants (SCSs; healthcare provider; students); estimates in bold are those statistically significant at the 0.05 level
  5. cEstimated by multinomial logistic regression models after adjustment for sex, age, group of participants (SCSs; healthcare provider; students); estimates in bold are those statistically significant at the 0.05 level
  6. dIII vs I tertile
  7. ePresent vs absent
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BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

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