Age and stage of readiness for smoking cessation.

Using the 1992 National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplement, relationships were analyzed between stage of readiness for smoking cessation and background characteristics, smoking behaviors, and smoking-related attitudes among smokers aged 18-29, 30-49, and > or = 50 years. For each age group, an ordinal logistic regression model was computed to identify correlates of readiness to quit. The youngest smokers had attitudes most favorable to being ready to try to quit smoking. For smokers aged 30-49, the influence of a medical provider and perceived health effects of smoking were important correlates of readiness. Among smokers 50 and older, those with realistic health consequences of smoking and those who perceived smoking as addictive were more likely to be ready to quit. The effectiveness of smoking cessation programs might be improved by matching interventions to a smoker's age and stage in the smoking cessation process.