title: Smoking and mental illness: a population study in South Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine smoking prevalence and smoking behaviour among South Australians with a mental illness and compare findings to those with no mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected in three cross-sectional representative population surveys of South Australians aged ≥15 years from 2005 to 2007. Merged data yielded a total sample size of 8417. The main outcome measures were: smoking prevalence, measures of tobacco dependence, awareness of the health effects of active and passive smoking, smoke-free homes and cars, awareness of health warnings, and use of cessation aids by two measures of mental illness status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall 26.4% of the population with a general mental illness and 51.2% of the population with a severe mental illness smoked, compared to 18.7% of the population without a mental illness. People with a mental illness, particularly severe mental illness displayed higher measures of tobacco dependence. Smokers with a severe mental illness were less likely to have smoke-free homes (OR = 0.29, 95%CI 0.16-0.55). Television was an effective medium to present the health effects of smoking to all groups. Those with a general mental illness were more likely than those with no mental illness to have asked a general practitioner for advice to help them quit in the past year (OR = 2.02, 95%CI 1.07-3.84).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whilst smokers with a mental illness are more dependent on their smoking; they are interested in quitting. There are a number of mainstream tobacco control strategies that could be further utilized (e.g. mass media and health professional referrals to the Quitline) to increase cessation among this disadvantaged group.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Council South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. jbowden@cancersa.org.au
authors.forename: Jacqueline A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: Caroline L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hiller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry) / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution