health-SMOKING-SURVEY TWO LAST NEW

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Again, the difference between physicians who smoke and those who do not is noticeable. While 43 per cent of non-smoking doctors discuss smoking with their smoking patients at every visit, only 33 per cent of doctors who smoke do the same. There are also significant differences globally, with the number standing at 68 per cent of North American physicians (both smoking and non-smoking) compared to only 14 per cent in Asia.

The vast majority of doctors understand why quitting smoking is so difficult. Nearly all of them agree that smoking is an addictive behaviour and 81 per cent consider it a chronic, relapsing medical condition.

Indeed, 71 per cent agree that smoking should be classified as a medical condition and 64 per cent believe that if this were to happen, it would encourage more smokers to quit.

''To successfully combat deaths caused by smoking, everybody, both physicians and non-physicians, need to reframe how we talk and think about smoking,'' says Prof Serena Tonstad, Ulleval University Hospital, Norway.

''Smoking is not a manifestation of a weak will or character, but a chronic relapsing medical condition caused by tobacco dependence.

Many smokers may require medical treatment for this condition, because most smokers are addicted to inhaled nicotine. This addiction ultimately takes the life of one out of two smokers prematurely.'' Physicians feel smokers themselves are the most responsible for quitting - this may be due to the fact that they do not have effective treatment options to take action such as they do for high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol.

However, physicians may also be underestimating how many of their smoking patients are trying to quit. Physicians in the survey estimate that on an average only 18 per cent of their patients who smoke are trying to quit. In reality, approximately one-third of smokers make a quit attempt each year.

''The current situation is a vicious circle - although doctors recognise the problems associated with smoking, they are underestimating the number of their smoking patients who are trying to quit and feel they have ineffective solutions to address the problem anyway,'' said Prof West.

''If we are to make serious inroads into combating the world's leading preventable cause of premature death, we need to radically modify the way smoking is perceived and treated worldwide.'' Some 2,836 physicians from 16 countries were interviewed for the study. Physicians in Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Holland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Britain and America participated in the survey.