Risk perception and cigar smoking behavior.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the cigar smoking perceptions and behaviors of US adults.


METHODS
A national sample of 1,012 adults was interviewed by telephone.


RESULTS
Current cigar smokers differed from nonsmokers in perceptions of personal risk for cancer and views about cigar smoking as a cancer cause. Both groups showed substantial acceptance of the glamorized image of cigarsmokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Although recognizing smoking as a cancer cause in general, cigar smokers tended to show a self-exempting "optimistic bias" with regard to perceptions of their own risks.
Baker
F
F
American Cancer Society, Behavioral Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30329-4251, USA. fbaker@cancer.org
Dye
J T
JT
Denniston
M M
MM
Ainsworth
S R
SR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States