Smoking Patterns and Smoking Cessation Willingness—A Study among Beneficiaries of Government Welfare Assistance in Poland

Katarzyna Milcarz, Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska, Leokadia Bak-Romaniszyn and Dorota Kaleta
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Katarzyna Milcarz: Department of Tobacco Control, Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, 90-752, Poland
Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska: Department of Work Physiology and Ergonomics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz 91-348, Poland
Leokadia Bak-Romaniszyn: Department of Nutrition in Digestive Tract Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, 93-338, Poland
Dorota Kaleta: Department of Tobacco Control, Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, 90-752, Poland

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: This study examines the prevalence and tobacco use patterns among adult social assistance beneficiaries and their interest in quitting. The results are based on data collected in a cross-sectional survey conducted among adults in the Piotrkowski district. A sample of 3636 social assistance beneficiaries produced a total of 1817 respondents who completed face-to-face questionnaires. Overall, 37.1% of the respondents, including 52.8% men and 29.6% women, were current smokers. Over one third of the smokers reported their willingness to quit. In the study population, several characteristics were significantly associated with the current daily smoking: male gender, low educational attainment, unemployment or temporary employment, lack of awareness of smoking-associated health risks, use of e-cigarettes, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The intention to quit smoking among the daily smokers was positively correlated with their awareness of smoking-associated health risks, lack of previous quit attempts, and low exposure to ETS. Smoking prevalence among social assistance recipients tends to be higher than in the general population, but more than half of the smokers are willing to quit. There is an urgency to develop policies tailored to the needs of these disadvantaged population groups.

Keywords: tobacco control; cigarettes; smoking cessation; electronic cigarettes; disadvantaged groups; low socioeconomic status population (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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