ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Smoking causes an estimated 8 % of all adult deaths in South Africa, a figure which is likely to grow as the smoking population ages and suffers the health sequelae of smoking.1 Tobacco control efforts in South Africa have achieved some degree of success, reducing the prevalence of smoking in 1993 from 51.4 % among men and 12.9 % among women to 43.8 % among men and 11.7 % among women, respectively, in 2000.2 These reductions have been mainly attributed to sharp increases in cigarette prices between 1993 and 2000.3 Although smoking rates in South Africa have declined, cessation rates have remained low.2 To increase cessation rates, more people should attempt to quit smoking, and succeed to do so. Factors associated with successful attempts to quit among Americans included older age, higher education level, married or living with a partner, non-Hispanic white, fewer lifetime attempts to quit, not switching to low-tar/nicotine products, not having others smoke at home, and a No Smoking policy at work.4 A very high prevalence of smoking in alcohol-dependent populations was also demonstrated in the USA,5 suggesting that this vulnerable population may require focused interventions for smoking cessation. Although alcohol abuse remains high in South Africa,6 limited data are available on the relationship between alcohol abuse and smoking in South Africa. Most reports on the factors that relate to smoking cessation are based on data from developed countries. Since smoking and alcohol abuse are associated with social disadvantage, and as addressing social disparities in health is an emerging public health priority globally, we sought to determine the socio-demographic correlates of successful cessation attempts among South Africans, and to examine the role of the co-morbidity of smoking and alcohol abuse and, particularly, the effects of problem drinking on attempting, and succeeding, to quit smoking