Self-exempting beliefs about smoking and health: differences between smokers and ex-smokers.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of self-exempting or cognitive dissonance-reducing beliefs about smoking and health. Such beliefs may hold important implications for the content and targeting of health promotion campaigns.


METHODS
A survey of smokers and ex-smokers was conducted in western Sydney, Australia. Six hypotheses were tested.


RESULTS
The principal findings were (1) that 27.9% of smokers and 42.1% of ex-smokers agreed that smokers were more likely than non-smokers to get five smoking-related diseases; (2) that for 11 of 14 beliefs tested, more smokers than ex-smokers agreed to a statistically significant degree; (3) that the median number of such beliefs agreed to by smokers was five, compared with three for ex-smokers; (4) that for only 5 of 14 beliefs was agreement expressed by more precontemplative smokers than smokers contemplating or taking action to quit; (5) that more than one in four smokers, despite agreeing that smokers are more likely than non-smokers to get five diseases, nonetheless maintain a set of self-exempting beliefs.


CONCLUSIONS
Fewer smokers than ex-smokers accept that smoking causes disease, and smokers also maintain more self-exempting beliefs. Becoming an ex-smoker appears to involve shedding such beliefs in addition to accepting information about the diseases caused by smoking.
Chapman
S
S
Department of Community Medicine, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
Wong
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Smith
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class