Smokers ages 50+. Who gets physician advice to quit?

Background Smoking-related morbidity and mortality, and benefits associated with quitting, extend across the life span. Health care provider intervent ions enhance quitting. The present study examined perceived influence of ph ysician advice to quit and characteristics of subjects receiving this advic e. Methods. Subjects were 1,454 smokers ages 50+ with at least one physician v isit in the past year. Subjects were surveyed at baseline for receipt of an d reactions to physician advice to quit and for smoking, health, and demogr aphic characteristics. Results. Over half of subjects welcomed physician advice to quit, about hal f said the advice influenced their quitting decision "extremely" or "quite a lot," and about one-third indicated that it increased their confidence in quitting. Physicians were more likely to advise sicker patients, indicated by poorer health status, at least one past year hospitalization, and prese nce of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or respiratory diseases. Conclusions. Midlife and older smokers reacted generally favorably to physi cian advice to quit. Physicians were more likely to advise patients with co mmonly recognized smoking-related diseases. Discrepancies were noted in adv ice given to sicker vs healthier patients. Additional physician training in less commonly recognized smoking-related illnesses, intervening with healt hier patients to prevent disease, and enhancing patients' confidence in qui tting may improve outcomes, (C) 2000 American Health Foundation and Academi c Press.