BACKGROUND Tobacco use is the number one cause of death and disability of women in the United States, and our women Veteran population is disproportionately affected. Despite revisions to the Veterans Affairs' approach to smoking cessation, women continue to smoke at equal or higher rates than men, are prescribed cessation medications less frequently, and are less likely to quit. In this qualitative pilot study, individual interviews with women Veterans revealed their experiences with smoking cessation attempts. METHODS The lead author conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 women Veterans who were either current or former smokers. Participants gave a narrative account of recent quit smoking attempts. Inductive thematic analysis explored the underlying themes. RESULTS Four main themes emerged as important: health and well-being, smoking as an addiction, optimism, and resilience. Health and well-being encompassed physical health, mental health, and financial stability. Women often felt that stability in these key areas made a successful attempt possible. Women with successful quit attempts were more likely to consider tobacco use as an addiction, as well as expressed optimism about their quit attempts. Women with successful quit attempts also demonstrated more resilience to lapses and relapses. CONCLUSIONS Women Veterans' quit smoking attempts demonstrate four main themes: baseline health and wellbeing, acknowledging smoking as an addiction, the participant's optimism towards quitting, and resilience. Patterns were observed within themes with respect to whether the woman was currently quit or had experienced a prolonged quit attempt in the past. Further research is needed to help women Veterans quit smoking.

中文翻译：

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帮助女退伍军人戒烟：成功和不成功尝试的定性分析。


背景 烟草使用是美国女性死亡和残疾的第一大原因，我们的女性退伍军人人口受到的影响尤为严重。尽管退伍军人事务部对戒烟方法进行了修订，但女性的吸烟率仍然与男性持平或更高，服用戒烟药物的频率较低，戒烟的可能性也较小。在这项定性试点研究中，对女性退伍军人进行了单独访谈，揭示了她们尝试戒烟的经历。方法 主要作者对 14 名目前或曾经吸烟的女性退伍军人进行了半结构化访谈。参与者讲述了最近的戒烟尝试。归纳主题分析探讨了潜在的主题。结果 四个主题变得非常重要：健康和福祉、吸烟成瘾、乐观和适应力。健康和福祉包括身体健康、心理健康和财务稳定。女性常常认为，这些关键领域的稳定使得成功的尝试成为可能。成功戒烟的女性更有可能将吸烟视为一种瘾，并对她们的戒烟尝试表示乐观。成功戒烟的女性也表现出对戒烟和复吸的更强的抵抗力。结论 女性退伍军人的戒烟尝试表现出四个主要主题：基线健康和福祉、承认吸烟是一种成瘾、参与者对戒烟的乐观态度以及复原力。在主题内观察到关于该女性目前是否戒烟或过去是否经历过长期戒烟尝试的模式。需要进一步的研究来帮助女性退伍军人戒烟。