Health education pamphlets about smoking - their benefit to smokers and non-smokers

The aim of this present study was to compare the use by smokers and non-smo kers of pamphlets about smoking as delivered from different settings. The s tudy was a nation-wide cross-sectional survey of 1924 randomly selected, Da nish men and women, aged 14-77 y, who had answered a mailed questionnaire i n 1994. Of these 71% also participated in a telephone interview enquiring a bout the use of health education material, smoking status and socio-demogra phic variables, 39% of readers of household-delivered anti-smoking pamphlet s reported having gained information from them and 22% reported having made changes in their own smoking behaviour such as avoiding smoking in the pre sence of non-smokers. In general practice settings, these percentages were higher among smokers. Smokers who were thinking of stopping smoking in the near future were in addition more likely to take and to read smoking relate d health education materials from other places. Non-smokers received (3-49% ) and read pamphlets about smoking as frequently as did smokers who did not intend to quit. In conclusion, written health education material was well received by readers, but, when distributed in a more open setting it needs to be targeted towards smokers who are considering stopping smoking. In gen eral practice, smokers not thinking of stopping were open to health educati on, and pamphlets used in this setting should also target this group. Non-s mokers contribute indirectly to smokers quitting by providing support to sm okers and pamphlets for non-smokers need to be more targeted towards this s ocial role.