Age Affects Motivation For Quitting Smoking

October 25, 2007 – 11:10 pm | posted in Smoking / Quit Smoking

A new study shows that obstacles to smoking cessation and motives for quitting smoking vary with age.

The study found that smokers over age 65 reported quitting smoking due to physician pressure and stress due to a major health problem, while smokers under age 65 reported cigarette cost and tobacco odor as reasons for quitting.

Virginia Reichert, lead author of the study said, “The current common perception among the medical community is that if smokers age 65 and older haven’t quit by now, they can’t or won’t quit, a perception which may lead physicians to focus less on their older patients’ smoking habit.”

“Our results show that older smokers are motivated to quit smoking by very different factors compared with younger smokers. If these factors are addressed, we may see cessation rates improve for both age groups.”

Ms. Reichert and colleagues from the Center for Tobacco Control at North Shore-LIJ compared health status and motives and obstacles for quitting smoking between 1,909 smokers under age 65 (younger smokers) and 143 smokers over age 65 (older smokers) who were attending a 6-week comprehensive cessation program.

The study found that older smokers were more likely than younger smokers to have a recent hospitalisation (23% vs 13%), comorbid cardiac disease (78% vs 38%), cancer (20% vs 7%), and/or chronic obstructive lung disease/asthma (37% vs 23%).

Obstacles to smoking cessation also varied by age group. Younger smokers were more likely than older smokers to report concerns of weight gain (30% vs 15%), stress management (59% vs 45%), fear of failure (15% vs 8%), handling social situations (24% vs 7%), and cravings (44% vs 36%) as obstacles to quitting smoking.

“To be most effective, treatment plans and education should be relevant to each group’s concerns,” said Ms. Reichert. She suggests that health-care providers offer weight management programs and stress management strategies as part of the treatment and relapse prevention programs for younger smokers, while older smokers may be more successful with physician encouragement and knowledge of how smoking is influencing their current health conditions.

http://www.ash.org.uk

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