Effectiveness of smoking cessation initiatives

doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7337.608

BMJ 2002;324:608 ( 9 March )

Letters

Effectiveness of smoking cessation initiatives

Efforts must take into account smokers' disillusionment with smoking and their delusions about stopping

Smoking cessation services show good return on investment

Efforts must take into account smokers' disillusionment with smoking and their delusions about stopping

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Our survey of a representative national sample of 893 smokers shows that most are disenchanted with smoking and claimthat they would not smoke if they had their time again.¹ Furthermore,most smokers overestimate the likelihood of stopping in the futureand greatly underestimate how long it is likely totake.

When asked: "If you had your time again would you start smoking?" 83% of current smokers replied that they would not (79%men, 87% women). Those aged 45 to 64 were most regretful, 90%saying that they would not smoke given their time again. Thismay reflect the mounting distress of smokers reaching the ageat which the main smoking related diseases are becoming noticeablein themselves and among their peers. Given the supposedly carefreeand rebellious image attributed to teenagers and young adults,young people were also very disenchanted with smoking: 78% ofthose aged 16 to 24 declared that they . . . [Full text of this article]

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