Calls to Quitlines and the use of internet cessation GW-572016 support services are more common between Mondays and Wednesdays (Balmford, Borland, Li, & Ferreter, 2009; Erbas, Bui, Huggins, Harper, & White, 2006), suggesting that quitting smoking is something of a work day activity. If the decision to quit is enacted on a work day, it may be easier to remain motivated on nonwork days for those who smoke less during these times. There were several limitations to this study. We do not know how valid our measure of variability in consumption was, it is only moderately reliable as indicated by year to year consistency. That the effects had a dose response aspect, it seems likely that the measure has some validity. Furthermore, we did not ask respondents whether smoking more on a work day meant more smoked at and around work, before, or after work.

Nor did we ask respondents whether they worked primarily indoors or outdoors. We also acknowledge that more detailed analysis of the different patterns of smoking restrictions between countries and across survey waves may have yielded more detailed findings for each country, but it was beyond the scope of this paper. Despite these limitations, our study showed a robust association over four waves of the ITC study. In addition to a consistent effect on quitting outcomes across waves, there were consistent patterns of association found between variation in consumption and other predictor variables. In conclusion, variation in day-to-day consumption is the norm for smokers who are employed outside the home with the majority smoking more on leisure (nonwork) days.

The minority who report smoking more on work days are more likely to achieve a one-month abstinence, largely because they are considerably more likely to make quit attempts. These effects do not appear to be due to level of dependence. The effects on staying quit may be a function of the extent of restrictions on smoking both at work and other settings perhaps because of the reduced social normativeness of smoking in many public places. While we do not have a convincing explanation for our findings, it Drug_discovery suggests that there may be utility in investigating how variation in cigarette consumption on work days compared with nonwork days affects quitting behavior. Exactly why this form of variation occurs also requires further exploration.