Smokers’ Receipt of Cessation Advice from Healthcare Professionals in National Samples of People Diagnosed with HIV and the General Population

Background: The high prevalence of smoking in persons living with HIV (PLWH) warrants an accurate estimation of smokers’ receipt of advice on smoking cessation. Prior studies on the topic have been limited by convenience samples. Objective: This study aims to be the first to estimate PLWH smokers’ receipt of cessation advice from a healthcare professional in a nationally representative sample. Methods: PLWH smokers were selected from the 2015–2016 Medical Monitoring Project (MMP; n = 1179), and smokers from the general population were selected from the 2014–2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS; n = 15,635) and 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; n = 4,219). Prevalence ratios in MMP were estimated for testing the hypothesis that PLWH smokers, who are treated by other provider types, have a greater likelihood of receiving advice to quit smoking. Results: The weighted estimate of PLWH smokers from the MMP who received cessation advice (82.2%) was higher than weighted estimates from the TUS-CPS (70.9%) and NHIS (68.7%). While the higher estimate can be partially attributed to a higher percentage of daily smokers, the finding was still observed in stratified samples of daily and non-daily smokers. Statistically significant differences in cessation advice, however, were not observed by other provider types. Conclusions: The study’s primary finding indicates that most PLWH smokers in care are receiving advice to quit smoking. The next steps are to train HIV care providers in all 5 A’s of smoking cessation through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program’s AIDS Education and Training Centers.