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Age
affects motivation for quitting
smoking...Younger smokers worry about
smoking cost; older smokers worry about
health effects
(Chicago, IL, October 22, 2007) – A new
study shows that obstacles to smoking
cessation and motives for quitting smoking
vary with age. The study presented at CHEST
2007, the 73rd annual international
scientific assembly of the American College
of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that
smokers over age 65 reported quitting
smoking due to physician pressure and stress
due to a major health problem, while smokers
under age 65 reported cigarette cost and
tobacco odor as reasons for quitting.
“The current common perception among the
medical community is that if smokers age 65
and older haven’t quit by now, they can’t or
won’t quit – a perception which may lead
physicians to focus less on their older
patients’ smoking habit,” said lead study
author Virginia Reichert, NP, Center for
Tobacco Control, North Shore-LIJ Health
System, Great Neck, New York.
“Our results show that older smokers are
motivated to quit smoking by very different
factors compared with younger smokers. If
these factors are addressed, we may see
cessation rates improve for both age
groups.”
Ms. Reichert and colleagues from the Center
for Tobacco Control at North Shore-LIJ
compared health status and motives and
obstacles for quitting smoking between 1,909
smokers under age 65 (younger smokers) and
143 smokers over age 65 (older smokers) who
were attending a 6-week comprehensive
cessation program.
Older smokers were more likely than younger
smokers to have a recent hospitalization
(23% vs 13%), comorbid cardiac disease (78%
vs 38%), cancer (20% vs 7%), and/or chronic
obstructive lung disease/asthma (37% vs
23%).
Regarding motivation, older smokers cited
pressure by their physician and stress of a
major health problem as main reasons for
quitting. Younger smokers attributed their
reasons for quitting to the cost of
cigarettes, tobacco odor, and general health
concerns.
“If the cost of cigarettes hasn’t made the
older smoker quit by now, they are not as
likely to be affected by the rising costs as
much as younger smokers may be,” said Ms.
Reichert. “On the other hand, younger
smokers may not have experienced health
effects from their smoking, but they may
have felt the impact of the cost of
cigarettes/cigars.”
Obstacles to smoking cessation also varied
by age group. Younger smokers were more
likely than older smokers to report concerns
of weight gain (30% vs 15%), stress
management (59% vs 45%), fear of failure
(15% vs 8%), handling social situations (24%
vs 7%), and cravings (44% vs 36%) as
obstacles to quitting smoking. Furthermore,
54% of older smokers and 69% of younger
smokers reported not wanting to give up
their first cigarette in the morning as an
obstacle to quitting smoking. Young smokers
also believe that trying to quit “cold
turkey” is best, when in reality, only 7% of
smokers achieve long-term abstinence without
professional help.
“To be most effective, treatment plans and
education should be relevant to each group’s
concerns,” said Ms. Reichert. She suggests
that health-care providers offer weight
management programs and stress management
strategies as part of the treatment and
relapse prevention programs for younger
smokers, while older smokers may be more
successful with physician encouragement and
knowledge of how smoking is influencing
their current health conditions.
“Tobacco-related diseases are major causes
of death in the United States,” said Alvin
V. Thomas, Jr., MD, FCCP, President of the
American College of Chest Physicians. “The
more we know about what motivates smokers to
quit their habit and what personal obstacles
they face in doing so, the more we can
tailor smoking cessation programs to fit the
individual needs of our patients.”
###
CHEST 2007 is the 73rd annual international
scientific assembly of the American College
of Chest Physicians, held October 20-25 in
Chicago, IL. ACCP represents 17,000 members
who provide patient care in the areas of
pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine
in the United States and throughout the
world. The ACCP’s mission is to promote the
prevention and treatment of diseases of the
chest through leadership, education,
research, and communication. For more
information about the ACCP, please visit the
ACCP Web site at
www.chestnet.org.
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