Attitudes and smoking habits of Australian doctors.

In a national survey of 1,276 Australian doctors, information was obtained about their present smoking havits, any changes in their smoking habits, their opinions of the health risks associated with smoking, and the advice they gave to their patients about smoking. The results indicated that only 14% of doctors currently smoked cigarettes, and that, of all the doctors who were now ex-smokers, 72% had given up smoking more than five years before-most of them for health reasons. Most exressed a strong belief that smoking and ill health were associated and 63% encouraged their patients to give up smoking whenever possible.