Smokers deude themseves about risks.
Discussion
From the BBC:
Smokers 'misjudge health risks'
Smokers significantly underestimate the risks their habit poses to their health, a study suggests.
A US survey of more than 6,300 people found current smokers underestimated their risk of lung cancer, compared with non-smokers.
The research, in Tobacco Control, also found smokers thought their personal risk was lower than other smokers'.
A second study in the journal found most public places in European cities had high levels of second-hand smoke.
Public place ban
Exposure varied, but it was found that someone dancing for four hours in a nightclub in a city such as Vienna or Barcelona was likely to be exposed to as much second-hand smoke as someone living with a smoker for a month.
The study looked at levels of second-hand smoke in bars, discos, schools, universities, hospitals and airport and train station waiting rooms in Paris (France), Athens (Greece), Florence (Italy), Oporto (Portugal) and Orebro (Sweden).
The research, carried out by a team from the Public Health Agency in Barcelona, found tobacco smoke was present in most public places.
In no-smoking areas, nicotine concentrations were found to be lower, but not zero, which the researchers said showed that having separate smoking and non-smoking areas was not completely effective.
Schools, where smoking was only permitted in staff rooms, tended to have the lowest nicotine concentrations, along with hospitals.
In its public health White Paper, published in November last year, the UK government said smoking should be banned in most enclosed public places by 2008.
'Indefensible'
The US survey of attitudes towards health surveyed 1,245 current smokers, former smokers and people who had never smoked.
It found half of the current smokers questioned believed exercise undid most of the harmful effects of smoking, compared to a third of former smokers.
Slightly more current smokers than former (35% compared to 31%) believed lung cancer depended more on genes than anything else.
Writing in Tobacco Control, the researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said: "The present survey provides clear evidence that smokers engage in risk minimisation by convincing themselves that they are not as much at risk as other smokers."
They add: "Given the accumulated evidence, the argument that people begin to smoke or continue to smoke with adequate knowledge of the potential risks appears indefensible."
Amanda Sandford, Research Manager at the UK based Action on Smoking and Health said: "Despite the overwhelming evidence of the harm caused by smoking, it is a sad fact that smokers have a blinkered view of the health implications of their habit.
"The study totally refutes the tobacco industry argument that people smoke through informed choice."
She added that the research looking at smoking in public places reinforced previous findings.
"Passive smoke is dangerous. Smoking should not be allowed in workplaces and enclosed public places. It really is as simple as that."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4291447.stm
Published: 2005/02/24 00:12:48 GMT
© BBC MMV
Smokers 'misjudge health risks'
Smokers significantly underestimate the risks their habit poses to their health, a study suggests.
A US survey of more than 6,300 people found current smokers underestimated their risk of lung cancer, compared with non-smokers.
The research, in Tobacco Control, also found smokers thought their personal risk was lower than other smokers'.
A second study in the journal found most public places in European cities had high levels of second-hand smoke.
Public place ban
Exposure varied, but it was found that someone dancing for four hours in a nightclub in a city such as Vienna or Barcelona was likely to be exposed to as much second-hand smoke as someone living with a smoker for a month.
The study looked at levels of second-hand smoke in bars, discos, schools, universities, hospitals and airport and train station waiting rooms in Paris (France), Athens (Greece), Florence (Italy), Oporto (Portugal) and Orebro (Sweden).
The research, carried out by a team from the Public Health Agency in Barcelona, found tobacco smoke was present in most public places.
In no-smoking areas, nicotine concentrations were found to be lower, but not zero, which the researchers said showed that having separate smoking and non-smoking areas was not completely effective.
Schools, where smoking was only permitted in staff rooms, tended to have the lowest nicotine concentrations, along with hospitals.
In its public health White Paper, published in November last year, the UK government said smoking should be banned in most enclosed public places by 2008.
'Indefensible'
The US survey of attitudes towards health surveyed 1,245 current smokers, former smokers and people who had never smoked.
It found half of the current smokers questioned believed exercise undid most of the harmful effects of smoking, compared to a third of former smokers.
Slightly more current smokers than former (35% compared to 31%) believed lung cancer depended more on genes than anything else.
Writing in Tobacco Control, the researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said: "The present survey provides clear evidence that smokers engage in risk minimisation by convincing themselves that they are not as much at risk as other smokers."
They add: "Given the accumulated evidence, the argument that people begin to smoke or continue to smoke with adequate knowledge of the potential risks appears indefensible."
Amanda Sandford, Research Manager at the UK based Action on Smoking and Health said: "Despite the overwhelming evidence of the harm caused by smoking, it is a sad fact that smokers have a blinkered view of the health implications of their habit.
"The study totally refutes the tobacco industry argument that people smoke through informed choice."
She added that the research looking at smoking in public places reinforced previous findings.
"Passive smoke is dangerous. Smoking should not be allowed in workplaces and enclosed public places. It really is as simple as that."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4291447.stm
Published: 2005/02/24 00:12:48 GMT
© BBC MMV
Must say your woman's summing up about smokers not making informed decisions and the tobacco industry all being bastards is bollox.
Smokers _are_ informed ... that is indisputable. The information is everywhere, including in bloody great black and white on the box of ciggies itself. The problem is that they "choose" to delude themselves or are just very bad at understanding relative levels of risk.
Truth is that humans are just inately bad at assessing relative risk. That is not the fault of the tobacco industry.
If humans were good risk assesment machines, we'd feel much more nervous crossing the road than going on a day trip to Selafield, we would laugh at stories such as the Sudan 1, we would all take more exercise and eat less fat. And the bookies would be poor.
Smokers _are_ informed ... that is indisputable. The information is everywhere, including in bloody great black and white on the box of ciggies itself. The problem is that they "choose" to delude themselves or are just very bad at understanding relative levels of risk.
Truth is that humans are just inately bad at assessing relative risk. That is not the fault of the tobacco industry.
If humans were good risk assesment machines, we'd feel much more nervous crossing the road than going on a day trip to Selafield, we would laugh at stories such as the Sudan 1, we would all take more exercise and eat less fat. And the bookies would be poor.
you posted that, I honestly thought there was Vitamin C in them...I don't delude myself. If i'm not killed by something in the interim then I'm most probably going to die of something smoking related.
In fact it's probably going to be a stroke (as my familily tree for the last 200 years indicates).
Or I might get run over by a speeding motorist, or have a heart attack from obesity, or get cancer from food colouring.
Thing is, after a bad motorbike accident ten years ago, I accepted that one day I'm going to die. Unfortunately, today's society seems to try to deny this.
So smoking knocks 10 years off your life? It's not like its at the good end is it? Personally, I'm not too bothered about an extra 10 years peeing on plastic chairs in the bide-a-wee rest home in Great Yarmouth.
Now passive smoking......you non smokers ever tried just staying home?
>> Edited by cazzer on Thursday 24th February 09:37
In fact it's probably going to be a stroke (as my familily tree for the last 200 years indicates).
Or I might get run over by a speeding motorist, or have a heart attack from obesity, or get cancer from food colouring.
Thing is, after a bad motorbike accident ten years ago, I accepted that one day I'm going to die. Unfortunately, today's society seems to try to deny this.
So smoking knocks 10 years off your life? It's not like its at the good end is it? Personally, I'm not too bothered about an extra 10 years peeing on plastic chairs in the bide-a-wee rest home in Great Yarmouth.
Now passive smoking......you non smokers ever tried just staying home?
>> Edited by cazzer on Thursday 24th February 09:37
Inhaling smoke has got to be one of the weirdest things that humans do.
Really is self abuse of the highest order.
As for kissing an ash tray
...no thank you.
And pandering to a stupid addiction like that - I like a drink...but dont carry a bottle around to have a swig from every few minutes.
Really is self abuse of the highest order.
As for kissing an ash tray
...no thank you. And pandering to a stupid addiction like that - I like a drink...but dont carry a bottle around to have a swig from every few minutes.
If it;s really that bad - it should be banned FULLSTOP. But oh no we can't do that beacuse it generates so much tax for the coffers - so we'll let people carry on.
The only good thing I have found about smoking is if you light one up - parents keep their brats away from you in beergardens. (pass the honeyrose)
The only good thing I have found about smoking is if you light one up - parents keep their brats away from you in beergardens. (pass the honeyrose)
cazzer said:
So smoking knocks 10 years off your life? It's not like its at the good end is it? Personally, I'm not too bothered about an extra 10 years peeing on plastic chairs in the bide-a-wee rest home in Great Yarmouth.
It's more than ten years that it takes on average. You don't lose those years out of your old age you lose them out of your middle age because it makes you prematurely old.
coco h said:
If it;s really that bad - it should be banned FULLSTOP. But oh no we can't do that beacuse it generates so much tax for the coffers - so we'll let people carry on.
Yep, we aren't allowed to do anything that people don't approve of (unless it generates huge tax income.) Do you imagine they would have banned fox hunting if there was a large tax take from it?
coco h said:
The only good thing I have found about smoking is if you light one up - parents keep their brats away from you in beergardens. (pass the honeyrose)
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