A 12-year comparison of hospitalized veterans' attitudes toward smoking and smoking cessation

A 48-item questionnaire designed to measure attitudes toward smoking and interest in smoking cessation was administered to 76 male patients hospitalized at the New Orleans VA Medical Center and the results were compared to three previous administrations of the same instrument 4, 8, and 12 years earlier. With the exception of age, most of the responses were similar to those on the previous administrations. Significant differences were found in the number of veterans over 62, the number of smokers who have been unable to quit for more than a week, those stating that they need assistance to stop smoking, and those indicating that they would participate in treatment to help them stop smoking. It appears that the aging VA patient population contains a large number of patients who are unable to stop smoking on their own and who feel they need assistance to stop smoking. Implications for VA policy are discussed.