BACKGROUND: Data on perception of smoking risk amongst the Irish population are sparse. AIMS: To study the accuracy and determinants of the perceived risk of premature death due to smoking in the general population and amongst general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: Telephone surveys of a representative sample of Irish adults (1,247) and GPs (171; 85% response rate) asked participants to estimate how many of 1,000 20-year-old life-long smokers would die from smoking-related disease before the age of 70 and to identify the main cause of death from a list of seven causes: smoking, road traffic accidents, accidents at work, AIDS, homicide, illicit drugs and alcohol misuse. RESULTS: In the population and GP samples, perception of the risk of smoking-related death was similar (median 200 and 150 deaths per 1,000 smokers respectively, epidemiological estimates 250/1000). Only 43% of the population identified smoking as the most important cause of death compared with 87% of GPs. Current smoking status, younger age, female gender, lower educational attainment and lower income were associated with failure to identify smoking as the main cause of death. CONCLUSION: Despite decades of health promotion, the general public underestimates the relative importance of smoking as a cause of death.
BACKGROUND: Data on perception of smoking risk amongst the Irish population are sparse. AIMS: To study the accuracy and determinants of the perceived risk of premature death due to smoking in the general population and amongst general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: Telephone surveys of a representative sample of Irish adults (1,247) and GPs (171; 85% response rate) asked participants to estimate how many of 1,000 20-year-old life-long smokers would die from smoking-related disease before the age of 70 and to identify the main cause of death from a list of seven causes: smoking, road traffic accidents, accidents at work, AIDS, homicide, illicit drugs and alcohol misuse. RESULTS: In the population and GP samples, perception of the risk of smoking-related death was similar (median 200 and 150 deaths per 1,000 smokers respectively, epidemiological estimates 250/1000). Only 43% of the population identified smoking as the most important cause of death compared with 87% of GPs. Current smoking status, younger age, female gender, lower educational attainment and lower income were associated with failure to identify smoking as the main cause of death. CONCLUSION: Despite decades of health promotion, the general public underestimates the relative importance of smoking as a cause of death.
Authors: Stephen E Gilman; Laurie T Martin; David B Abrams; Ichiro Kawachi; Laura Kubzansky; Eric B Loucks; Richard Rende; Rima Rudd; Stephen L Buka Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2008-01-06 Impact factor: 7.196
Authors: Anaïs Besson; Alice Tarpin; Valentin Flaudias; Georges Brousse; Catherine Laporte; Amanda Benson; Valentin Navel; Jean-Baptiste Bouillon-Minois; Frédéric Dutheil Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-12-17 Impact factor: 3.390