Profiles of cigarette smoking among patients in a cancer center.
Although cancer patients who continue to smoke are at high risk for subsequent malignancies, especially in tobacco-exposed tissues, they are rarely the target of intervention strategies. We present smoking behavior profiles on 2,531 adult patients registered at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center over a 15-month period. The data are derived from self-administered risk-factor questionnaires. Prevalence data are compared with 1985 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Percentages of current smokers were similar for men (34.6%) and women (31.8%) and comparable with national survey data. Black men had the highest percentage of current smokers (41%), while Hispanic and black females had the lowest (26.1% and 26.7%, respectively). There were proportionately fewer quitters among women compared with men (19.1% v 37.8%) and among black men and women (20.5% and 11.5%, respectively) compared with whites and Hispanics. Fifty-five percent of male patients smoked over 25 cigarettes daily, compared with 33% of men in the national data. The comparable estimates for women were 31% and 21%. While there was a clear inverse association between educational attainment and smoking prevalence, those college-educated men who did smoke were heavier smokers than their less-educated counterparts. These data highlight the importance of tailoring educational programs to correspond with the specific smoking and demographic characteristics of the patient population.
Spitz
M R
MR
Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
Fueger
J J
JJ
Eriksen
M P
MP
Newell
G R
GR
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D044469:Racial Groups; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires