Characteristics of daily and occasional smoking among youths

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a more detailed understanding of the characteristics of occasional smokers, and how the characteristics of occasional smokers differ from those of daily smokers. This information can then be used in youth smoking programmes to better address these differences in a manner that would target appropriate youth with appropriate cessation methods. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 976 university students, aged between 18 and 25 years, in Ankara, Turkey. The topics covered included age, sex and tobacco use characteristics. Daily and occasional smokers were defined according to traditional definitions of smoking. RESULTS: Among the 976 students surveyed, 482 (49.4%) reported being active smokers. Among these smokers, 199 (41.3%) were classified as occasional smokers and 283 (58.7%) were daily smokers using the traditional definitions of smoking. Many of the active smokers had relatives or friends who also smoked, specifically, 46.5% had a father who smokes, 13.3% had a mother who smokes, 26.8% had an older brother or sister who smokes, and 69.7% had two or more close friends who smoke. Although more than 51.3% of smokers planned on quitting smoking, only 26.1% had previously tried to quit smoking but 64.7% believed they could successfully quit. Daily smokers reported that they made fewer attempts to quit smoking than occasional smokers. More often than occasional smokers, daily smokers reported that they smoke because they like the image, they are addicted, smoking relieves stress and/or their friends smoke. Occasional smokers reported that they smoke less at home or at the university than in other places, and smoke more often with friends than when alone or with family members. This pattern is encouraged by the family structure in Turkish society, where smoking by adolescents at home in the presence of family members is frowned upon. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates substantial differences between occasional and daily smokers. If effective future smoking prevention and cessation programmes that target youth are going to be developed, data like those gathered in this study are critical. Basic information regarding cigarette consumption patterns, while important, is insufficient to understand behaviour and key factors that trigger smoking among the youth population.     

2013年西安市居民烟草流行状况调查

目的 了解西安市居民的烟草流行状况,为进一步在全市开展控烟工作提供理论依据。 方法 采用多阶段分层随机抽样的方法,在西安城区和农村抽取2 772名15～69岁的调查对象,于2013年10-12月采用《2012年全国居民健康素养监测调查问卷》进行入户问卷调查,调查内容包括基本信息、戒烟行为及认知、戒烟史、吸烟环境及对烟草危害认知。采用SPSS 19.0软件分析居民吸烟率、二手烟暴露率人群分布差异及吸烟者戒烟想法和戒烟方式等情况。 结果 西安市居民吸烟率为28.1％,城区、农村分别为24.8%和31.4%,男、女分别为50.6％、6.3％,城乡及性别分布差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);76.2%人群受二手烟危害,其中56.7%人几乎每天接触二手烟,不同社会特征人群除职业和年龄分类二手烟暴露率及暴露频率比较差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05);吸烟人群中有戒烟意愿的仅占51.4%,拨打戒烟热线、咨询戒烟门诊为6.5%和10.4%。 结论 2013年西安市居民吸烟率较高,二手烟暴露严重,吸烟者有戒烟意愿者少,希望寻求专业戒烟帮助的更少,烟草流行情况不容乐观。     

2015年陕西省成人吸烟及“二手烟”现状调查

目的 描述2015年陕西省成人吸烟、“二手烟”、戒烟、日均吸烟量的流行水平。方法 采用多阶段整群随机抽样的方法选择调查对象,对陕西省监测点覆盖的监测人群,年龄18岁及以上进行入户面访调查,采用现在吸烟率、“二手烟”暴露率、对主动和被动吸烟的危害认知率、戒烟率等指标,依据抽样权重进行加权计算。结果 陕西省18岁及以上年龄吸烟率32.73%,现在吸烟率28.30%,男性和女性的现在吸烟率为53.78%和1.64%;城市现在吸烟率为24.52%,农村31.53%;每日吸烟率25.32%;现在每日吸烟者日均吸烟量16.98支,男性日均吸烟量17.14支,女性日均吸烟量9.74支;人群戒烟率为13.54%,男性戒烟率13.43%,女性17.11%;城市戒烟率13.90%,农村戒烟率13.30%;“二手烟”暴露率65.14%,对吸烟引起中风、心脏病、肺癌疾病的知晓率为30.8%,对被动吸烟引起成人心脏疾病、儿童肺部疾病、成人肺癌疾病的知晓率为36.0%。结论 陕西省18岁及以上居民的人群吸烟及“二手烟”暴露比较严重,戒烟率偏低,对烟草危害知识认知不足。     

Responding to change: how did bar workers adapt to the smoke-free legislation in Scotland?

In recent years a number of countries have implemented comprehensive smoking bans to protect workers from adverse effects of exposure to second-hand smoke. It is also well known that many key stakeholders working in hospitality settings are themselves smokers. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal qualitative study conducted with bar workers following the implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland. It examines the effects of smoking prevalence and status on support for smoke-free legislation, and its impact on business and working practices as well as bar workers' smoking behaviour both in and outside of the workplace. The results highlight a need for targeted assistance for businesses serving disadvantaged communities both to adapt commercially to the legislation and to provide cessation support to workers who smoke.     

2011年长沙市医院工作人员吸烟现况及相关知识调查

目的 了解长沙市医院工作人员的吸烟状况及相关认知与态度,为制定无烟医院政策提供科学依据. 方法 2011年9-10月,采用分层随机抽样方法抽取长沙市10所医院的1000名工作人员进行吸烟相关的问卷调查.结果 长沙市医院工作人员吸烟率为24.0％,现在吸烟率为16.8％,吸烟者日平均吸烟量为15.22支,60％以上吸烟者自称在起床后1h内吸第一根烟.医院工作人员二手烟暴露率高达86.3％.调查中,仅有13.7％的被调查者表示未遭受被动吸烟.被调查者认同吸烟可能导致心脏病发作、中风、阳痿的比例为79.6％、80.4％和81.0％.医院工作人员对医院禁烟普遍持支持态度,但仍有32.8％的被调查者认为应该允许在医院内卫生间吸烟. 结论 长沙市医院工作人员中男性现在吸烟率较高,对单位室内完全禁烟支持率较高,在烟草与疾病认知方面还需要进一步提高,应对医院工作人员的吸烟行为进行干预,加强控烟知识培训,充分发挥医院和医院工作人员在烟草控制工作中的表率和支持作用.     

广州市医生吸烟及控烟知识、态度、行为现况调查分析

目的了解广州市医生吸烟和控烟知识、态度和行为现状，为开展医生戒烟活动、医生帮助吸烟者戒烟服务提供科学依据。方法采用分层整群随机抽样方法，询问调查抽中的广州市1级、2级和3级医院的一线临床医生。结果医生的总吸烟率17．3％，现吸烟率为15．2％，其中40～岁年龄段现吸烟率明显高于其他年龄组，男性现吸烟率25．9％，女性无人吸烟，影响现吸烟率的主要是男性吸烟者；1、2级医院现吸烟率明显高于3级医院。80．4％的医生赞成医生应该为病人树立不吸烟榜样，52．7％的医生赞成或不反对医生应主动向病人提供戒烟服务，并希望了解更多吸烟和控烟有关知识。结论有必要在医生中开展吸烟和被动吸烟的危害、戒烟知识和方法培训，令医生自己减少吸烟，并使医生更主动地、为病人提供更专业的戒烟服务。     

2015年武汉市15岁及以上居民烟草流行现状调查

目的 描述2015年武汉市15岁及以上居民烟草使用、戒烟、二手烟暴露和对烟草使用知识与态度及其不同教育水平、职业和地区分布特点,判断烟草的变化趋势。方法 采用分层多阶段PPS抽样方法,随机抽取14个区50个监测点的5 000个15岁及以上城乡居民进行问卷调查。结果 武汉市15岁及以上居民吸烟率为25.8%,现在吸烟率为23.5%,男性和女性吸烟率、现在吸烟率分别为48.9%、44.1%,2.0%、2.4%,男性明显高于女性,差异有统计学意义;仅有24.1%的现在吸烟者尝试戒烟;在室内二手烟暴露者中,酒吧/夜总会（歌舞厅）最高为96.8%,其次是饭店为72.4%;人群对吸烟及二手烟危害的认知率较低,仅15.5%的居民认为吸烟导致4种疾病的任意1种。结论 武汉市烟草流行状况严重,男性吸烟率处较高水平。酒吧和餐馆二手烟暴露情况严重,公众对吸烟及二手烟危害的认知不全面。     

广州、佛山两地学龄期儿童家庭二手烟暴露及自我保护行为调查研究

目的 了解广州、佛山地区学龄期儿童家庭二手烟暴露情况及其面对暴露时的自我保护行为。方法 采用自行编制的学龄期儿童二手烟暴露及自我保护行为问卷,对广州、佛山两地共385名三年级以上的小学生进行问卷调查。结果 9.2%的小学生曾经尝试过吸烟,且男童显著高于女童(χ²=9.269,P=0.002);46.8%的学龄期儿童与1个或以上的吸烟者同住,且42.6%的吸烟者每天吸烟;学龄期儿童家庭二手烟暴露的来源除了家庭成员,还有客人,其中29.3%学龄期儿童在调查前一个月内曾暴露在客人的二手烟中,42.6%的家人会主动提供香烟给客人;暴露的场所除了家庭室内还有私家车;但90%以上的学龄期儿童不认可吸烟行为,且认为二手烟对自身有害;面对二手烟暴露,98.8%学龄期儿童会采取主动或者被动的自我保护行为,并且其中大部分会尝试劝家人戒烟,而女童更倾向于劝解家人戒烟(χ²=7.161,P= 0.012)。66.7%的吸烟家长被儿童劝解戒烟后会有积极的改变,其中有8.8%学龄期儿童报告吸烟者戒烟了。结论 广州、佛山地区学龄期儿童家庭二手烟暴露情况不容乐观,儿童对被动吸烟有一定的自我保护能力,在性别方面需要针对性的指导。控烟工作应注意将儿童与家长结合起来,共同创建无烟家庭。     

Smoking and the emergence of a stigmatized social status

An increase in the social unacceptability of smoking has dramatically decreased tobacco use in the USA. However, how policies (e.g., smoke free air laws) and social factors (e.g., social norms) drive the social unacceptability of tobacco use are not well understood. New research suggests that the stigmatization of smokers is an unrecognized force in the tobacco epidemic and could be one such mechanism. Thus, it is important to investigate the sources of smoker-related stigmatization as perceived by current and former smokers. In this study, we draw on the broader literature about stigma formation in the context of the tobacco epidemic and examine the role of attribution, fear, tobacco control policies, power and social norms in the formation of smoker-related stigma. We test hypotheses about the determinants of stigma using a population-based sample of 816 current and former smokers in New York City. The results show that perceptions of individual attributions for smoking behavior and fear about the health consequences of second hand smoke are important influences on smoker-related stigmatization. Structural forms of discrimination perpetrated against smokers and former smokers (e.g., company policies against hiring smokers) are also related to smoker-related stigma. Respondents with more education perceive more smoker-related stigma than respondents with less education and, Black and Latino respondents perceive less smoker-related stigma than White respondents. Social norms, specifically family and friends' expressed disapproval of smoking, contribute to the formation of smoker-related stigma. These findings suggest important points of leverage to harness the powerful role of stigma in the smoking epidemic and raise concerns about the possible role of stigma in the production of smoking disparities.     

武汉市15岁及以上人群二手烟暴露现状分析

目的 了解武汉市15岁及以上成人二手烟暴露的水平、主要暴露场所,为制定相关的控烟措施提供有力依据。方法 采用全球成人烟草调查（GATS）统一的抽样方法和调查问卷, 在全市14个区的50个监测点抽取5 000个家庭户;采用入户调查形式进行电子数据采集,每户家庭随机抽取1名合格的调查对象。对数据加权后,采用SAS 9.3复杂调查设计分析程序进行数据分析。结果 全市最终完成调查样本(n = 4 311 )。在过去30 d内,非吸烟者中有43.1%在室内工作场所暴露于二手烟,32.3%的非吸烟者在家中暴露于二手烟,其中男性21.9%,女性37.9%。在过去30 d内到过不同公共场所的成人中,二手烟暴露由高到低依次为酒吧/夜总会（96.8%）、饭店（72.4%）、中小学校（37.7%）、政府大楼（36.9%）,大学（25.9%）、医疗机构 （24.3%）、公共交通工具（13.5%）。 结论 武汉市二手烟暴露现状严峻, 酒吧、餐馆、室内工作场所是二手烟暴露的主要场所,应积极推进公共场所和室内工作场所控烟立法。     

The Relative Effect of Household and Workplace Smoking Restriction on Health Status Among Chinese Americans Living in New York City

Households and workplaces are the predominant location for exposure to secondhand smoke. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between health status and smoking restrictions at home and work and to compare the relative effect of household and workplace smoking restrictions on health status. This study uses data from a cross sectional representative probability sample of 2,537 Chinese American adults aged 18–74 living in New York City. The analysis was limited to 1,472 respondents who work indoors for wages. Forty-three percent of respondents reported a total smoking ban at home and the workplace, 20% at work only, 22% home only, and 15% reported no smoking restriction at home or work. Smokers who live under a total household smoking ban only or both a total household and total workplace ban were respectively 1.90 and 2.61 times more likely to report better health status compared with those who reported no smoking ban at work or home. Before the NYC Clean Indoor Air Act second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure among this immigrant Chinese population at home and work was high. This study finds that household smoking restrictions are more strongly associated with better health status than workplace smoking restrictions. However, better health status was most strongly associated with both a ban at work and home. Public health efforts should include a focus on promoting total household smoking bans to reduce the well-documented health risks of SHS exposure. Shelley and Hung are with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Yerneni and Fahs are with the Brookdale Center on Aging, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA. Fahs and Das are with the Economics Program Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, USA. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Tobacco taxation and public health: ethical problems, policy responses

This article aims to describe the major ethical issues surrounding tobacco taxation, and to identify policy responses to minimise any ethical dilemmas. It uses the standard ethical framework for biomedicine (covering beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice), in conjunction with relevant data on tobacco taxation from various developed countries. Tobacco taxation contributes substantial benefits at the population level by protecting health (i.e., by deterring the uptake of smoking by youth, by promoting quitting, and by reducing harm from exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS)). However, tobacco taxes can contribute to financial hardship among low-socioeconomic status populations where smoking persists. Such taxes can contribute to autonomy, by reducing SHS exposure to non-smokers, and by allowing freedom from nicotine-dependency for those who quit smoking or do not start regular smoking as a result of high tobacco prices. Furthermore, increases in tobacco taxation may reduce health inequalities and so contribute to justice. Nevertheless, the additional tax burden imposed on smokers who wish to continue to smoke, or are unable to quit, can be considered unjust. The autonomy of such smokers may be partly impaired. Although tobacco tax can be regarded as ethically justifiable because of its substantial overall benefit to society, there is substantial scope for policy changes to further reduce any harms and injustices for those populations who continue to smoke.     

我国40岁及以上吸烟人群烟草依赖严重程度及其影响因素分析

目的 了解我国≥40岁吸烟人群烟草依赖情况及其影响因素,为我国广泛开展戒烟干预提供科学数据。方法 本研究数据来源于2014-2015年中国居民慢性阻塞性肺疾病监测,覆盖31个省（自治区、直辖市）的125个监测点,以面对面询问调查的方式收集≥40岁居民吸烟和烟草依赖的相关变量。应用复杂抽样加权估计我国≥40岁现在吸烟和现在每日吸烟人群烟草依赖率及其95%CI并分析其影响因素。结果 纳入分析现在吸烟者22 380人,现在每日吸烟者19 999人。≥40岁现在吸烟人群的重度烟草依赖率为31.1%（29.3%~32.9%）,其中男性为32.0%（30.2%~33.9%）,高于女性17.6%（13.4%~21.7%）;乡村为32.7%（30.2%~35.2%）,高于城镇;40~59岁年龄组重度烟草依赖率较高,为33.3%（31.3%~35.2%）。≥40岁现在每日吸烟人群的重度烟草依赖率为35.0%（33.0%~37.0%）,男性为35.8%（33.8%~37.8%）,女性为22.0%（16.8%~27.2%）。在现在吸烟人群和每日吸烟人群中,文化程度越低,重度烟草依赖率越高;18岁以前开始吸烟者重度烟草依赖率明显高于18岁及以后开始吸烟者;有慢性呼吸道症状者的重度烟草依赖率明显高于无症状吸烟者;慢性呼吸系统疾病患者和非患者的重度烟草依赖率差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）;患有糖尿病、心脑血管疾病和高血压的吸烟者的重度烟草依赖率略低于非患者（P<0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,男性、中部和东部地区、40~59岁年龄组、从事农林牧渔水利、生产运输和商业服务职业、文化程度低、18岁以前开始吸烟者患重度烟草依赖的风险高。结论 我国≥40岁吸烟人群的重度烟草依赖水平较高,戒烟干预服务客观需求巨大,应采取有效措施推动我国戒烟干预工作的开展。     

西藏青少年2019年吸烟行为现状及相关因素分析

  目的  了解西藏青少年烟草使用现状及影响因素, 为开展有针对性的控烟干预提供技术依据。  方法  于2019年8—10月, 采用与人口数量规模成比例的整群抽样方法抽取西藏4 983名学生进行问卷调查, 采用χ2检验和非条件Logistic回归分析探讨西藏青少年现在吸烟率的相关因素。  结果  2019年西藏青少年现在吸烟率为11.3%(563/4 983), 尝试吸烟率为21.8%(1 086/4 983), 二手烟暴露率为62.4%(3 111/4 983)。82.9%的吸烟者表示想要戒烟, 79.9%的吸烟者在过去12个月内有过尝试戒烟行为, 仅有11.7%的吸烟者表示受到过专业人员的戒烟帮助或建议。Logistic回归分析结果显示, 城市(OR=2.38)、三年级(OR=1.51)、学校类型为普通高中(OR=2.90)或职业高中(OR=3.53)、男生(OR=16.93)、每周零花钱≥50元(OR=1.93)、暴露于二手烟(OR=16.12)、认为二手烟可能会(OR=1.40)或可能不会(OR=4.89)产生危害、暴露于烟草广告(OR=1.83)、朋友吸烟(OR=7.47)、几乎每天能看到教师吸烟(OR=1.79)与青少年现在吸烟行为均呈正相关; 认为吸烟行为能减少吸引力(OR=0.54)与青少年现在吸烟行为呈负相关(P值均 < 0.05)。  结论  2019年西藏青少年吸烟及尝试吸烟行为较普遍, 二手烟暴露问题较严重, 职业高中学生是开展控烟干预的重点人群, 学校为控烟干预的重点场所。     

天津市居民吸烟及戒烟状况调查分析

目的：了解天津市居民吸烟状况、戒烟想法及戒烟方法的应用,为有针对性地在居民中开展健康教育活动提供依据,同时为制定相关控烟政策提供基础数据。方法使用 PPS 法(按规模大小成比例的概率抽样)在每个区抽取3个街道,共计16个区。使用 PPS 在每个街道抽取2个居委会抽样单位,采用随机抽样方法在每个居委会抽取70个家庭户,每个家庭户采用 KISH 表抽取1名调查对象,每个居委会完成50份调查问卷。结果男性现在吸烟率为42.35%,女性现在吸烟率为10.32%,男性吸烟率高于女性(χ2=760.956,P <0.05),不同文化程度居民吸烟率差异有统计学意义(χ2=95.605,P <0.05)。男性与女性现在吸烟者戒烟意愿差异无统计学意义(χ2=2.959,P >0.05),不同吸烟量的现在吸烟者戒烟意愿差异有统计学意义(χ2=30.434,P <0.05),随着吸烟者吸烟量的增大,想戒烟的比例也在逐渐降低。89.18%现在吸烟者选择靠自己毅力戒烟,7.06%选择拨打戒烟热线。在过去12个月,有42.25%医护人员建议吸烟者戒烟。非吸烟者对主动吸烟及吸入二手烟的危害知晓率高于吸烟者,有戒烟想法的人主动吸烟及吸入二手烟的危害知晓率高于吸烟者。结论应积极开展控烟工作,有针对性地对男性、女性吸烟者开展控烟干预工作,加大戒烟门诊、戒烟热线的宣传,提高医务人员的戒烟知识和戒烟技巧,广泛宣传主动吸烟与被动吸烟的危害,同时政府部门加强控烟法律执行力度,保证人民群众不受二手烟的危害。     

The social context of change in tobacco consumption following the introduction of ‘smokefree’ England legislation: A qualitative,longitudinal study

Legislation implemented in England on 1st July 2007 to prohibit smoking in enclosed public places aimed primarily to limit exposure to second-hand smoke, thereby reducing smoking-related morbidity and mortality. We conducted a qualitative study between April 2007 and December 2008 in six contrasting localities in two metropolitan areas in the north and south of England, which examined the impact of the legislation on individuals, families and communities. Using a multi-level longitudinal case study design, we collected data at community and individual levels, from three months prior to the legislation to a year after its enactment through a range of methods, including semi-structured interviews with panel informants and observations in locality settings. Drawing on theoretical understandings of the relationship between structure, agency and practice, this paper examines the social and cultural contexts of change in tobacco consumption. Observations in a variety of community settings identified reduced smoking in public places post-legislation. More than half of panel informants reported decreased consumption at one year post-legislation; a minority had quit, maintained or increased their smoking levels. The dominant pattern of reduced consumption was attributed primarily to constraints imposed by the legislation. This suggests that the law may have provided an impetus for some smokers to cut down or quit. Smoking behaviour was, however, strongly influenced by the social networks in which smokers were embedded, indicating that, while individuals had the power to act, any changes they made were largely shaped by social structural factors. Our findings support the need for a comprehensive tobacco control strategy that takes account of the complex array of contextual factors that constrain and enable smoking.     

甘肃省15~69岁常住居民吸烟和戒烟现状及其烟草危害知晓情况

目的了解甘肃省15~69岁常住居民吸烟和戒烟现状及其对烟草危害的知晓情况,为进一步做好烟草防控和戒烟宣传工作提供参考依据。方法于2015年11月—2016年2月采用多阶段随机抽样方法在甘肃省抽取21320名15~69岁常住居民进行面访调查。结果经加权调整后,甘肃省15~69岁常住居民的吸烟率为30.7%(95%CI=29.3%~31.5%),现在吸烟率为27.5%(95%CI=26.6%~28.7%),现在每日吸烟率为21.6%(95%CI=20.8%~22.7%),戒烟率为12.1%(95%CI=10.8%~13.2%);现在吸烟者中考虑1年内戒烟的居民仅占16.2%;甘肃省15~69岁常住居民对吸烟会导致中风、心脏病发作和阳痿的知晓率分别为28.2%、34.0%和18.2%,对"二手烟"会导致成人心脏病、儿童肺部疾病和肺癌的知晓率分别为34.5%、52.8%和54.9%。结论甘肃省15~69岁常住居民现在吸烟率较高,戒烟率较低,对烟草危害认识不足,现在吸烟者戒烟意愿不强。     

The Status and Future Challenges of Tobacco Control Policy in Korea

Tobacco use is the most important preventable risk factor for premature death. The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international public health treaty, came into force in 2005. This paper reviews the present status of tobacco control policies in Korea according to the WHO FCTC recommendations. In Korea, cigarette use is high among adult males (48.2% in 2010), and cigarette prices are the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries with no tax increases since 2004. Smoke-free policies have shown incremental progress since 1995, but smoking is still permitted in many indoor public places. More than 30% of non-smoking adults and adolescents are exposed to second-hand smoke. Public education on the harmful effects of tobacco is currently insufficient and the current policies have not been adequately evaluated. There is no comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship in Korea. Cigarette packages have text health warnings on only 30% of the main packaging area, and misleading terms such as "mild" and "light" are permitted. There are nationwide smoking cessation clinics and a Quitline service, but cessation services are not covered by public insurance schemes and there are no national treatment guidelines. The sale of tobacco to minors is prohibited by law, but is poorly enforced. The socioeconomic inequality of smoking prevalence has widened, although the government considers inequality reduction to be a national goal. The tobacco control policies in Korea have faltered recently and priority should be given to the development of comprehensive tobacco control policies.     

Heavy smoking among a sample of employed women.

Understanding the phenomenon of heavy smoking among women and factors related to it is of considerable public health importance. Whereas lighter smokers have been more successful in their cessation attempts, the percentage of smokers who smoke more than 25 cigarettes per day has increased in recent years. This article examines the hypothesis that, compared to lighter smokers, female heavy smokers will report more responsiveness to internal cues to smoke, less interest in quitting, more difficulty with previous cessation attempts, more uncertainty about cessation strategies, and more concern about weight gain as a result of quitting. We collected data in 1984 through a self-administered survey completed by 874 women employed as nurses in acute care, chronic care, and home care nursing in Worcester, Massachusetts; we base our analyses on data collected from 158 light and moderate smokers and 67 heavy smokers. Our findings suggest that, compared to lighter smokers, heavy smokers may depend more on nicotine and are likely to respond to a broader array of cues to smoke, factors that appear to contribute to heavy smokers' greater difficulties with quitting. These female heavy smokers are just as likely as lighter smokers to have made previous attempts to quit and want to quit just as much. Major barriers to quitting for female heavy smokers include a lack of confidence in their ability to quit, insufficient tools to succeed with cessation attempts, and fear that weight gain will accompany quitting.     

Controlling cigarette smoking in the workplace in Taiwan: opportunities and challenges

Cigarette smoking is one of the most serious health problems in Taiwan. Although the Taiwanese government passed a Tobacco Hazard Control Act in 1997, it is not fully applicable to the workplace. The purpose of the study was to review workplace smoking prevalence and policies, and to discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing workplace smoking policies in Taiwan. Results show that smoking prevalence in the workplace in Taiwan is high, particularly among males, ranging from 38 to 68%. More than 75% of smokers in Taiwan smoke in the workplace. The percentage of workplaces implementing restrictive smoking policies in Taiwan is low, particularly in small-sized workplaces. The Tobacco Hazard Control Act in Taiwan has not been strongly enforced in public places, let alone in private companies. Several constructive suggestions are presented in the study. For example, establishing workplace smoking policies, informing employers that second-hand smoke is a human carcinogen, providing financial support for employers to initiate cessation programs, and modifying the current Tobacco Hazard Control Act, etc.