Smoking Behavior and Related Lifestyle Variables among Physicians in Fukuoka, Japan: A Cross Sectional Study.

Abstract

A cross-sectional survey of the entire membership of the Fukuoka Prefecture Medical Association was conducted in 1983 using a self-administered questionnaire. In this investigation the actual prevalence of smoking among physicians and the relationship between their smoking habits and living habits were studied. The study subjects were divided into two groups: those who smoked (1,737 men and 17 women), and those who did not currently smoke (2,267 men and 169 women). It was realized that there were many who were currently non-smokers among women, subjects with a high body mass index, those with heart disease, those without peptic ulcers, those who underwent health check-ups regularly, those accustomed to an early bedtime, those who were not aware of mental stress, those who took regular exercise, those who consumed plenty of fresh vegetables, yellow and green vegetables and fruit, those who did not consume Japanese pickles, coffee or green tea,.and those who drank alcohol only occasionally and only in small amounts.The results of this study suggested the possibility that physicians who were smokers were a group who smoked little and could easily stop smoking. Moreover, non-smoking physicians were found to have a healthier lifestyle than those who smoked. It was considered that, in developing a smoking cessation program for physicians, it is important for them to establish more health-conscious lifestyles.

Associations of smoking status with other lifestyle behaviors are modified by sex and occupational category among urban civil servants in Japan

“…The strong association between current smoking and irregular breakfasting was reported in previous studies [4,25]. In addition, a study that investigated associations between smoking and intake of various foodstuffs demonstrated lower consumption of fresh vegetables, yellow and green vegetables, and fruit by smokers [26]. These findings might suggest that smoking induced changes in taste or loss of appetite.…”

An international review of tobacco smoking in the medical profession: 1974–2004

“…Multiple investigations from Italy [40,48,53], Japan [41,51,62,78,83-85,100] and France [49,63] for example, have consistently documented smoking prevalence rates over 25%. A second trend is also evident in some newly developing countries, where contemporary physicians appear to be smoking at high rates in China [55], Estonia [31,32], Bosnia/Herzegovina [33] and Turkey [34].…”

Comparison of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding smoking among Estonian and Finnish physicians

“…It has been reported that when a physician gives advice to quit smoking, the proportion of smokers who manage to give up smoking is increased (Kaetsu et al 2002;McIlvain et al 2002;Lancaster et al 2000). The recent evidence indicates that even brief fi rm advice to stop smoking can lead to an increase in long-term cessation rates of about 1-2% (Liu & Tang 1998;McEwen & West 2001).…”

“…The recent evidence indicates that even brief fi rm advice to stop smoking can lead to an increase in long-term cessation rates of about 1-2% (Liu & Tang 1998;McEwen & West 2001). However, it is also reported that whether or not a physician advises a patient to stop smoking depends on the smoking status of that particular physician (Kaetsu et al 2002;Tessier et al 1993b). There is a risk that the advice of smoking physicians is affected by their individual assessment of the health consequences of smoking, which might not be in accordance with the evidence.…”

“…This might result in incorrect advice or no advice to patients (Willaing et al 2003). In addition, there seems to be a relationship between the smoking behaviour of physicians and their medical knowledge and attitudes towards smoking (Kaetsu et al 2002). During the last decades the prevalence of smoking among physicians in most developed countries in Europe including Finland has decreased and is lower than among the general population (van Reek & Adriaanse 1991;Willaing et al 2003).…”