Although most people who smoke cigarettes want to quit, stopping smoking is notoriously difficult. There are a huge number of individual factors – including smoking history and behaviors, biological, psychological, socioeconomic and demographic factors – that drive the potential risk of harm to smokers, their smoking dependence, and willingness to quit. There are also a wide range of options available to quitters to assist them, including medication, counselling and substitutes.
The objective of the research was to examine if this highly heterogeneous population can be segmented in a meaningful way, based on rigorous scientific data. If so, can we improve the success of a smokers quit attempt by providing smokers with interventions tailored to their individual needs? And can this in turn pave the way for a potential smoker segmentation tool, which could provide practical, tailored assistance to smokers on their quitting journey?
