Background:
It is a common belief that men are more successful in quitting than women. However, results from the evidence are controversial.
While some studies do not show differences in number of quit attempts and abstinence rates by gender, other sources find abstinence is more difficult for women. In Argentina, more girls than boys smoke, but men smoke more than women. This study aimed to measure the quitting effect evaluating the characteristics of current and former smoker from a gender perspective.

Methods:
Secondary analysis from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) done in Argentina in 2012, restricted to adult smokers of 18 years old or more. Results from a population-based study were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression modelling for the association of socio-demographic, attitudinal, dependence and environmental characteristics and the status of former smoker vs smokers.

Results:
The analysis includes 3,038 subjects representing in a population-weighted projection 12,017,116, mean age 47.47 years (95%CI 45.37-49.57). Former smokers were 50.46% (95%CI 44.72-56) 42.21% women (95%CI 33.89-51). There were no differences of elapsed time since quitting by gender (p=0.053). For current smokers (n=1,610, women 37.44% 95%IC 30.73-44.68), there was a significant difference in smoking years (females 20.75 years 95%IC 18.14-23.35, males 25.12 years 95%IC 21.92-28.32, p=0.039). In multivariable analysis former smoker status was strongly associated to female gender (OR 1.53 95%CI 1.06-2.19), age (OR 1.11 95%CI 1.02-1.2 every 5 years), smoke-free homes (OR 2.92 95%CI 1.78-4.78), support to raise tobacco taxes (OR 2.32 95%CI 1.52-3.56), and non-daily consumption (OR 2.06 95%CI 1.25-3.39), independently of educational or income level.

Conclusions:
Results from GATS Argentina show women were more likely to quit than men among other factors associated with quitting. These results challenge the common assumption that women find it harder to quit. Tailored gender-specific strategies could enhance smoking cessation.