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Doctors' advice to their patients about smoking
Australian Family Physician
|July 1, 1993
Summary
Most people believe doctors oppose smoking, but many smokers don't recall receiving quitting advice. Doctor warnings significantly increase quit attempts, highlighting communication gaps in smoking cessation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Medical Communication
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Public perception of physicians' attitudes towards smoking.
- Smokers' recall of medical advice regarding smoking cessation.
- The impact of physician warnings on patient smoking behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate public perceptions of doctors' views on smoking.
- To assess smokers' recall of advice given by their doctors.
- To determine the relationship between doctor warnings and quit attempts.
Main Methods:
- Face-to-face interviews conducted with a representative sample of 2357 Victorians aged 16 and over.
- Data collected in September and October 1990.
- Analysis of perceptions, recall, and reported quit attempts.
Main Results:
- 83% perceived doctors as anti-smoking, but only 55% believed their own doctor was.
- 55% of smokers reported no advice to quit, even if the doctor inquired about smoking status.
- Patients advised to quit were more likely to attempt quitting (81%) than those not advised (61%).
- Advice to cut down, rather than quit, resulted in fewer planned quit attempts (27%).
Conclusions:
- Physicians may be failing to adequately warn patients about smoking risks.
- Current smoking cessation advice may not be memorable or impactful.
- There is a need to improve the effectiveness of doctor-patient communication on smoking cessation.