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Lai CS, Shieh TY et al. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2006; 34: 467–474

Betel quid chewing is common in Asia, and in Asian immigrants to other countries. With or without tobacco, betel quid is carcinogenic. There is little information on what factors influence successful quitting of the habit. In this study, 326 professional drivers and supervisors who were or had been regular users completed detailed questionnaires about their use of the drug and various psychological characteristics.

Of 231 who had tried to quit the habit, 114 reported success. In comparison with those who succeeded, unsuccessful quitters were significantly more likely to be drivers rather than supervisors (OR = 2.24), users of betel quid only (4.44), regular alcohol drinkers (2.41), and to have a lower score for internal locus of control (0.94). The authors consider that these are important factors for any public health approaches to reducing betel quid usage.