A Study to Guide the Family Physicians in Formulating a Smoking Cessation Program

Abstract

Cigarette smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable disease worldwide. Cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke are associated with premature death from chronic diseases, economic losses to society, and a substantial burden on the health-care system. Smoking is the primary causal factor for at least 30% of all cancer deaths, for nearly 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and for early cardiovascular disease and deaths. Preventing smoking and increasing cessation rates need to remain priorities of family physicians who are working to prevent heart diseases and stroke. Dramatic declines in smoking-attributable deaths can be achieved by further reducing smoking prevalence rates. Leading causes of death, such as lung cancer and COPD, could become relatively uncommon in future generations if the prevalence of smoking was substantially reduced. This study was conducted in the family medicine outpatient clinics in Kasr el Ainy, Cairo University, in an aim to determine the characteristics of the attending smokers to help us in the formulation of a smoking cessation program for the attending patients. A total number of 200 smokers were interviewed using a questionnaire after taking their verbal and written consent on being enrolled in the study. Results of the study revealed that most of the attending smokers were males (99.5%), 44.5% of them were in the age group between 25 and 44 years. Over half of the participants were of low educational level (51.1%) and most of them were married (79%)