Awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in current smokers: a nationwide survey

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, few studies of the attitudes toward COPD of smokers, the group at risk of developing this condition, have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to explore the awareness of and attitudes toward COPD of current smokers. METHODS: The sample consisted of 502 individuals aged 45 and older from throughout Korea who smoked at least 10 packs of cigarettes per year. Telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted with respondents. RESULTS: First, we evaluated the health status of subjects, finding that 45.4% considered themselves to be in good health. We also asked about COPD-related symptoms, and 60.6% of subjects reported such symptoms. However, only 1.2% of subjects had been diagnosed with or treated for COPD, only 0.4% spontaneously mentioned COPD as a respiratory disease, and only 26.5% recognized COPD as a respiratory disease after seeing a list of such diseases. Television ranked as the top source of information about COPD. The willingness of 45.0% of subjects to stop smoking increased after being informed about COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having COPD-related symptoms, most smokers did not know that COPD is a respiratory disease. The attitudes of smokers toward COPD and smoking cessation varied according to socioeconomic status. In summary, a continuous effort to increase the awareness of COPD among smokers is needed. Additionally, strategies tailored according to different socioeconomic groups will also be necessary.

Clinical, radiologic, and functional evaluation of 304 patients with bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis continues to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, with a probably underestimated higher prevalence than in developed countries. To assess the clinical profile of adult patients with bronchiectasis. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, radiologic, and physiologic findings of 304 patients with bronchiectasis confirmed by high-resolution computed tomography. Mean age of participants [45.7% males, 54.3% females] was 56 +/- 25 years and 65.8% of them were lifetime non-smokers. Most common identified causes of bronchiectasis were childhood disease [22.7%], tuberculosis [15.5%], and pneumonia [11.5%]. The predominant symptoms were productive cough [83.6%], dyspnea [72%], and hemoptysis [21.1%]. The most common findings on chest examination were crackles [71.1%] and rhonchi [28.3%]. Types of bronchiectasis were cylindrical in 47%, varicose in 9.9%, cystic in 45.1%, and multiple types in 24.3%. Involvement was multilobar in 75.3% and bilateral in 62.5%. Of 274 patients, 20.8% displayed normal pulmonary function test results, whereas 47.4%, 8% and 23.7% showed obstructive, restrictive, and mixed pattern, respectively. Patients with cystic disease had a higher frequency of hemoptysis [42%] and a greater degree of functional impairment, compared to other types. In patients with bronchiectasis from southern Turkey, generally presenting with recurrent productive cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, and persistent bibasilar rales, the etiology remains mainly idiopathic. Post-infectious bronchial destruction is one of the major identified underlying pathological processes. The clinical picture and the deterioration of the pulmonary function test might be more severe in patients with cystic type bronchiectasis

Analysis of Willingness-to-Quit Cigarette Price among Korean Male Adults / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the willingness to quit cigarette price among Korean male adults, and to examine he factors affecting the willingness to quit cigarette price. METHODS: The data was collected by a random digit dial telephone survey. 702 samples were analyzed by using ttests, ANOVA and OLS regression analysis. To estimate the willingness to quit cigarette price, smokers were asked dichotomous questions with open-ended follow-up and the starting point of the price was randomized by one of 5 bid prices elicited from a pilot study. RESULTS: The mean of the willingness to quit cigarette price was 4,287 Won per package, which was about 2,000 Won higher than the mean of the actual price the smokers now paid. About 41% of respondents were willing to quit smoking if the price of cigarette would be increased by 3,000 Won, and if the price would be increased by 20,000 Won, all respondents were willing to quit smoking. The factors associated with the willingness to quit cigarette price were the place of residence, the amount of smoking and the degree of exposure to smoking through the mass media. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that to get people to quit smoking, increasing the cigarette price would obviously be effective and much higher prices have a greater effect. Furthermore, to enlarge the effect of increased cigarette prices, providing more cessation programs to small towns, reducing the amount of smoking and decreasing or prohibiting advertisements of cigarettes and smoking in the mass media will be efficient.

Chinese and Vietnamese adult male smokers' perspectives regarding facilitators of tobacco cessation behavior.

INTRODUCTION: National surveys show a low prevalence of tobacco cigarette smoking within the Asian American/Pacific Islander population. However, smoking rates loom higher when data is disaggregated by ethnicity and gender. Nevertheless, few data are available on how smokers in this population quit smoking. The aim of this study was to collect first-hand perspectives from adult male Chinese and Vietnamese current and former smokers who were patients at a community clinic in Seattle, Washington, in order to understand the facilitators toward smoking cessation and the methods that they might use to quit smoking. METHODS: A telephone survey was administered to age-eligible male Chinese and Vietnamese clinic patients who were current or former smokers. A total of 196 Chinese and 198 Vietnamese (N=394) adult male current and former smokers were contacted from a pool culled from the clinic database. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis using SPSS software revealed ethnicity-specific differences between current and former smokers regarding influences on smoking cessation behavior as well as uptake and endorsement of cessation methods. Family encouragement and physician recommendations were significant facilitators on the cessation process. Will power and self-determination were frequently mentioned by both Vietnamese and Chinese smokers as helpful methods to quit smoking. Vietnamese smokers were more resourceful than Chinese smokers in their use of smoking cessation methods. CONCLUSION: Even with access to cessation classes at a health clinic, half of current smokers indicated that they had no intention to quit. Such attitudes underscore the need for promotion of effective smoking cessation programs as well as successful strategies for reaching smokers. These conclusions are particularly important for Chinese smokers, who were comparatively less resourceful in their use of smoking cessation methods. Future studies should explore integrating the concept of will power with current mainstream state-of-the-art smoking cessation programs.

Tabaquismo entre estudiantes de medicina

Objetivo: Estimar la prevalencia de tabaquismo entre estudiantes de medicina de nuestra universidad y determinar su actitud hacia las acciones contra el tabaquismo. Métodos: Se aplicó un cuestionario de 12 preguntas a todos los estudiantes de los semestres primero a décimo de la Facultad de Medicina de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá. Resultados: 618 de 625 estudiantes (99 por ciento) contestaron la encuesta. El 19 por ciento del total fueron fumadores, 14 por ciento de las mujeres y el 22 por ciento de los hombres (p<0.01). La prevalencia fue diferente en cada semestre con una tendencia a aumentar en los semestres más altos: 10 por ciento en primer semestre y 32 por ciento en décimo semestre (p<0.01). Entre los fumadores, las mayores razones para no fumar fueron no interés (43 por ciento) y salud (25 por ciento). Los estudiantes estuvieron expuestos al tabaco en cafeterías (96 por ciento), oficinas (69 por ciento), salones de clases (41 por ciento), ascensores (27 por ciento) y pabellones de hospitalización (9 por ciento). Sobre la posibilidad de implementar áreas restringidas para fumar, 94 por ciento estuvieron de acuerdo (79 por ciento fumadores, 98 por ciento, no fumadores) y 67 por ciento (39 por ciento fumadores, 74 por ciento no fumadores) en prohibirlo. El 68 por ciento de los fumadores participarían en un programa de cesación del tabaquismo. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de tabaquismo en esta población de estudiantes de medicina es levemente inferior a la nacional del 21.4 por ciento. Hay una prevalencia mayor en los semestres superiores (p<0.01), lo que podría estar influenciado por la ausencia de programas contra el tabaquismo en nuestra universidad. Es necesaria la implementación de programas de educación y áreas sin tabaco la universidad y en el hospital.