Cessation of Smoking Flashcards
Identify the main health risks of smoking.
• Principal fatal diseases caused by smoking
are cancer, COPD and CVD
• Also causes morbidity
On average, how many years do cigarette smokers lose ?
On average, cigarette smokers lost 7.5 years
To what extent are the effects of cigarettes on health dose related ?
The effects of cigarettes are dose related.
Graph the overall risk of death to smokers and non-smokers from age 40.
Refer to slide 4 in lecture on “Cessation of Smoking”
Identify the health benefits of smoking cessation.
- Increased longevity
- Risk of lung cancer stabilised (but no absolute decline because DNA damage, irreversible)
- Heart disease risk declines towards non-smoker level over 10 years
- Accelerated decline of lung function reduced + lower respiratory symptoms
- Improved reproductive health
- Improved recovery from surgery
- Risk of bone loss, hip fracture, periodontal disease minimised by cessation
- Rheumatoid arthritis risk reduced
- Cataract risk reduced
- Aortic aneurysm risk reduced
- Peripheral artery disease risk reduced
Identify the different effects of quitting on physiology over time:
- 20 minutes
- 8 hours
- 24 hours
- 48 hours
- 72 hours
- 2-12 weeks
- 3-9 months
- 5 years
- 10 years
-20 minutes: blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal
-8 hours: blood nicotine and CO halved, oxygen back to normal
-24 hours: CO eliminated; lungs start to clear mucus etc
-48 hours: nicotine eliminated; senses of taste & smell much improved
-72 hours: breathing easier; bronchial tubes begin to relax; energy levels increase
-2-12 weeks: circulation improves
-3-9 months: lung function improved by less than 10%, wheezing decreases
-5 years: Risk of heart attack halved
-10 years: risk of lung cancer halved compared to continued smoking;
risk of heart attack equal to never- smoker’s.
What proportion of cigarette smokers will be killed by cigarette ?
What proportion of quitters avoid premature death ?
What age do you need to stop before to avoid almost all of the excess risk ?
- 1/2
- For every five smokers that quit before middle age, one avoids premature death
- Those who stop smoking before 35 years of age avoid almost all of the excess risk
What proportion of those who quit smoking avoid lung cancer at age: 60 (men and women) 50 (men and women) 40 (men) 30 (men)
60: 1 in 17 men, 1 in 24 women
50: 1 in 10 men, 1 in 14 women
40: 1 in 8 men
30: 1 in 7 men
What other cancers, besides lung cancer, so smokers also risk ?
Laryngeal, oral cavity, oesophageal cancers.
What are the effects of smoking cessation on reproductive health?
- Women who stop smoking before pregnancy: no adverse effects on infant
- Stopping between first prenatal care visit and week 32 prevent deficit in infant birth weight, head circumference, and brain:body ratio, but does NOT completely prevent deficits in crown-heel length or increased ponderal index.
- Former smokers have the same prevalence of erectile dysfunction (impotence) as non-smokers
Identify some of the postoperative complications due to smoking.
- Fewer wound-related complications, reduced CV complications and secondary surgery
- Shorter hospital stay
What are the Psychological pathways to Quitting?
Transtheoretical (Stage) Model of Behaviour Change (Prochaska and DiClemente).
Describe the transtheoretical model of behavioural change.
Pre-Contemplation → Contemplation → Preparation → Action → Maintenance → Relapse → (back to) Pre-Contemplation etc.
Identify the main characteristics of pre-contemplation and strategy to use in that stage.
- Characteristics: Lack of awareness or lack of intent to change
- Strategy: Short messages to attract attention, bring up potentially novel and highly relevant facts previously not considered (e.g. your muscles get tired more quickly because they don’t get all the oxygen you need, you NEVER see an athlete smoking)
Identify the main characteristics of contemplation and strategy to use in that stage.
- Characteristics: Increased awareness of negative aspects of smoking. Has intention to quit within 6 months.
- Strategy: Dispel negative myths about quitting smoking (e.g. it IS possible to stop without weight gain, irritability, problems concentrating), reinforce willpower to quit
