Background:
Smokeless tobacco (SLT) covers various types of tobacco products used in un-burnt form mainly orally or nasally worldwide. Smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine, which is addictive and contains over 30 carcinogens. Thus, its use associated with increased risk of multiple health problems. Assessing readiness to quit and its predictors provides reliable data to tobacco control and prevention efforts. Ethiopia is a party of the framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC). However, there were no studies that assessed intention to quit SLT use. Thus, this study assessed intention to quit SLT use and associated factors among adults.

Methods:
A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 810 randomly selected adults in three districts of Borena Zone from January 1 to 20/2016 The data were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with intention to quit smokeless tobacco use.

Results:
Among 810 adults, 33.5% had intention to quit smokeless tobacco use. Age 65 and above [AOR= 0.35, 95%CI: 0.14, 0.89], past quit attempt [AOR=3.16, 95%CI: 2.21, 4.53], health professionals advise to quit smokeless tobacco use [AOR=1. 61, 95%CI: 1.13, 2.30], and health effects awareness [AOR= 1.29, 95%CI: 1.14, 1.46] were associated with intention to quit smokeless tobacco use.

Conclusions:
Moderate number of adults had intention to quit smokeless tobacco use. This study depicts the need to raise adults´ health effect awareness and encouraging health professionals to give advice to their smokeless tobacco users.