title: [Smoking behavior of primary-care clinic patients].
abstract: Smoking habits in 1027 patients over the age of 18 in our 2 primary care clinics were surveyed by means of questionnaires which were filled out by 92% of the total population surveyed. 31% of the men and 20% of the women smoked, while 22.9% and 9.5%, respectively, were ex-smokers. The proportion of smokers decreased with increasing age. There was a greater proportion of smokers and of heavy smokers in the Tel Mond clinic in which the patients were of Afro-Asian origin and of lower socio-economic status. In the Herut clinic, in which the patients were of European origin and higher socio-economic status, there were fewer smokers and they had started smoking at an older age. 41% of all smokers expressed a desire to stop smoking. 60.7% of those who had stopped smoking had done so because of some illness or symptom. Very few said they had stopped because of medical advice (1.8%) or anti-smoking propaganda in the media (0.6%). Despite the general reduction in smoking since previous studies, there is need for much more intervention by family physicians.
authors.affiliation: Herut and Tel Mond Clinics, Emek Hefer District, Kupat Holim.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kitai
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Don
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zalewski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors