Beliefs about smoking and diabetes care

The purpose of this study was to address the following questions: 1) Do smokers with diabetes believe that cigarettes have favorable outcomes associated with diabetes management? 2) Do smokers with diabetes believe that quitting smoking negatively impacts diabetes management? 3) Do smokers with diabetes perceive significant others as being supportive of attempts to quit smoking? and 4) What is the relationship between these factors and attitude toward quitting smoking? Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) completed a measure of Attitude Toward Quitting Smoking, which assessed desire and confidence in ability to achieve cessation, and the Diabetes and Smoking Beliefs Questionnaire, which assessed beliefs regarding cigarettes and diabetes management. Smokers whose attitudes reflected less desire to quit and less confidence in doing so reported that cigarettes had utility in diabetes management, that quitting has negative effects on diabetes, and perceived significant others as only moderately supportive of attempts to quit smoking. Implications of these findings for diabetes education are discussed.