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Objectives: This intervention was implemented to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking among women., Methods: We used community organization approaches to create coalitions and task forces to develop and implement a multicomponent intervention in 2 counties in Vermont and New Hampshire, with a special focus on providing support to help women quit smoking. Evaluation was by pre-intervention and post-intervention random-digit-dialed telephone surveys in the intervention counties and the 2 matched comparison counties., Results: In the intervention counties, compared with the comparison counties, the odds of a woman being a smoker after 4 years of program activities were 0.88 (95% confidence interval = 0.78, 1.00) (P = .02, 1-tailed); women smokers' perceptions of community norms about women smoking were significantly more negative (P = .002, 1-tailed); and the quit rate in the past 5 years was significantly greater (25.4% vs 21.4%; P = .02, 1-tailed). Quit rates were significantly higher in the intervention counties among younger women (aged 18 to 44 years); among women with household annual incomes of $25,000 or less; and among heavier smokers (those who smoked 25 or more cigarettes daily)., Conclusions: In these rural counties, community participation in planning and implementing interventions was accompanied by favorable changes in women's smoking behavior.

Introduction: Our objectives were (1) to examine the relationship between women's intention of stopping smoking in the next month and a broad range of mediating variables and (2) to assess the implications of these relationships for intervention components of a comprehensive community-wide health education program to help women quit smoking., Methods: In preparation for the community-wide program to help women quit smoking, baseline data were collected through a random digit dialing telephone survey of 6,324 adult women, 18-64 years of age., Results: At baseline, smoking prevalence, defined as smoking an average of one or more cigarettes per day, was 25.8% and showed clear relationships with age and income, but most strikingly with education, indicating the need for programs for women of childbearing age with low incomes and fewer years of schooling. Among female smokers, knowledge of the health effects of smoking; motivations toward quitting; confidence in controlling weight, or handling stress, anger or boredom; number of strategies named to cope when upset of angry; number of community smoking cessation resources named; perceptions of support for quitting; and perceptions of norms concerning women smoking varied significantly with level of intention to quit smoking in the next month., Conclusions: These relationships provided support for the broad range of health behavior change strategies proposed for this community-based program to help women quit smoking.