Factors which differentiate smokers from ex-smokers among cardiovascular patients: a discriminant analysis.

A retrospective analysis of smoking behavior among hospitalized, cardiovascular patients was conducted in order to describe factors which differentiate smokers from ex-smokers. Ex-smokers were defined as smokers who abstained from smoking for at least 6 months prior to admission to the hospital. A multifactor model of variables related to smoking cessation was tested utilizing a survey instrument which measured health beliefs, health locus of control, a standardized measure of stress (habits of nervous tension), social supports and tendency to utilize social and over-the-counter medication. Social support for cessation measured as the degree of disapproval of smoking by the respondents social network and belief in susceptibility to the smoking--disease linkage were the factors which most highly differentiated smokers and ex-smokers among the respondents. The standardized measure of stress did not differentiate the groups. The efficacy of routine health counselling concerning negative effects of smoking by health professionals and the encouragement and structuring of social supports for smoking cessation among high risk populations should be further investigated as an alternative or adjunct to more elaborate and formal programs of smoking cessation.