The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #59347

My Linn Sawyer, MD, Occupational Health, OSF St. Anthony's Medical Center, 89 Kingsport Drive, South Elgin, IL 60177, 847-531-5242, mylinn@wwdb.org, Linda F. Chang, PharmD, BCPS, College of Pharmacy/Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1221 E. State Street, Rockford, IL 61104, and May Nawal Lutfiyya, PhD, Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107.

According to the MMWR (2000), cigarette smoking caused approximately 440,000 premature deaths in the U.S. annually and approximately $157 billion in annual-health related economic losses. Despite extensive research linking tobacco use to adverse heath outcomes and promotion of smoking cessation by mass media and pubic policy, the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that approximately 23.3% of American adults are current smokers and the 2001 YRBS reports that smoking among high school students is 28.5%. Since an estimated 70% of smokers see a physician each year, physicians can play a critical role in counseling smokers on smoking cessation. Furthermore, 70% of smokers in a national survey stated that they would quit if urged by their physicians, but only 25% reported having received such advice. The 1997-2000 BRFSS database was used for the data collection. Multiple variables were recoded. SPSS was used to perform multiple logistic regression and cross-tabulations. The dependent variable was binary: long-term versus short-term quitters. Long term quitters were more likely to be associated with the following variables: higher educational level, higher income level, older age, have health plan, and tend to be male. In the year 2000 database, only 12% of these participants ever reported being counseled by a physician. These counseled participants were 244,441% more likely to be a long-term quitter than a short-term quitter comparing to those who never have been counseled. A statistically significant but modest increase in smoking cessation rates was observed from the years 1997-2000.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Examine the association between long-term and short-term quitters and physician counseling on smoking cessation.
• 2. Examine the socioeconomic and other demographic profiles between long-term quitters and short-term quitters.
• 3. Examine the impact of the Tobacco Settlement on smoking cessation rates.

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.