P. Boyle et al., Characteristics of smokers' attitudes rewards stopping - Survey of 10,295 smokers in representative samples from 17 European countries, EUR J PUB H, 10(3), 2000, pp. 5-14
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health
Background: Tobacco is addictive and cigarette smoking causes significant m
orbidity among smokers due to the harmful side effects of tar and other con
stituents. Many diseases caused by tobacco smoking result in death, of whic
h half are premature. When smokers stop smoking, even in middle age, there
is a substantial improvement in life expectancy. Stopping smoking is not al
ways so easy: the addictive nature of nicotine makes it a lot easier to sta
rt smoking than to stop permanently. Currently, 40% of men and 30% of women
in the European Union smoke, although there is little information about ho
w many of these want to stop smoking and what their attitudes to stopping a
re. Methods: Representative samples of smokers were interviewed in the fift
een Member States of the European Union as well as Poland and Russia, emplo
ying individual, face-to-face interviews. The national characteristics in k
ey variables, such as age, gender, socio-economic status and urban-rural st
atus, were included in the study design in all countries. The sample compri
sed a representative sample of smokers, aged 18 or more, in each country. A
combined total of 10,295 smokers were interviewed. Results: Overall, the m
ajority of smokers want to stop smoking. This percentage varies greatly bet
ween countries, with 84% in Sweden stating that they wished to stop compare
d with less than 40% in Austria, Germany and Italy. Smokers want to be told
by their doctor that they should stop smoking. However, only 34% of smoker
s have been told by their doctor to stop smoking and only 11.6% have been c
ounselled by their doctor about the possible assistance available to help t
hem stop successfully. The similarity of the findings in men and women is n
otable. Conclusion: For the first time, data are available from representat
ive samples of European Smokers to give a picture of smokers and some of th
eir attitudes and patterns of behaviour. These findings reinforce the concl
usion that there should be a wide range of activities utilised to achieve T
obacco Control. Everything that can be done to prevent children and adolesc
ents starting to smoke must be identified and implemented. Doctors should r
outinely advise their patients who smoke that they should stop smoking and
inform them of what help is available to do so. The proportion of adult smo
kers who wish to stop needs to be further increased and all the help necess
ary to improve the probability that an attempt to stop smoking is successfu
l should be made available to those who wish to stop smoking. Smokers shoul
d be considered as patients with an addictive disease.