Alpha 2.0
Login Register
» Articles » PMID: 9184501

Do Smokers Understand the Mortality Effects of Smoking? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey

Overview
Journal Am J Public Health
Specialty Public Health
Date 1997 May 1
PMID 9184501
Citations 28
Authors
M Schoenbaum
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Objectives: This study examined whether smokers recognize that smoking is likely to shorten their lives and, if so, whether they understand the magnitude of this effect.

Methods: People's expectations about their chances of reaching age 75 were compared with epidemiological predictions from life tables for never, former, current light, and current heavy smokers. Data on expectations of reaching age 75 came from the Health and Retirement Survey, a national probability sample of adults aged 50 through 62 years. Predictions came from smoking-specific life tables constituted from the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey and the 1985 and 1987 National Health Interview Surveys.

Results: Among men and women, the survival expectations of never, former, and current light smokers were close to actual predictions. However, among current heavy smokers, expectations of reaching age 75 were nearly twice as high as actuarial predictions.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that at least heavy smokers significantly underestimate their risk of premature mortality.

Citing Articles

Are People Optimistically Biased about the Risk of COVID-19 Infection? Lessons from the First Wave of the Pandemic in Europe.

McColl K, Debin M, Souty C, Guerrisi C, Turbelin C, Falchi A Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(1).

PMID: 35010707 PMC: 8744599. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010436.

What do young Australian adults know about modifiable risk factors for dementia?.

Keage H, Villani G, Hutchinson A BMC Public Health. 2021; 21(1):2166.

PMID: 34823503 PMC: 8616573. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12220-7.

"It Won't Happen to Us": Unrealistic Optimism Affects COVID-19 Risk Assessments and Attitudes Regarding Protective Behaviour.

Salgado S, Berntsen D J Appl Res Mem Cogn. 2021; 10(3):368-380.

PMID: 34307004 PMC: 8292110. DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.07.006.

Do Financial Literacy and Financial Education Influence Smoking Behavior in the United States?.

Rahim Khan M, Putthinun P, Watanapongvanich S, Yuktadatta P, Uddin M, Kadoya Y Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(5).

PMID: 33806645 PMC: 7967511. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052579.

Smoking-Related Health Beliefs in a Sample of Psychiatric Patients: Factors Associated with the Health Beliefs and Validation of the Health Belief Questionnaire.

Asharani P, Lau J, Ai Ling Seet V, Devi F, Wang P, Roystonn K Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(4).

PMID: 33562257 PMC: 7916053. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041571.

References
1.
HAMMOND E . Life expectancy of American men in relation to their smoking habits. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1969; 43(4):951-62. View
2.
ROGOT E, Reid D . The validity of data from next-of-kin in studies of mortality among migrants. Int J Epidemiol. 1975; 4(1):51-4. DOI: 10.1093/ije/4.1.51. View
3.
Kolonel L, Hirohata T, Nomura A . Adequacy of survey data collected from substitute respondents. Am J Epidemiol. 1977; 106(6):476-84. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112494. View
4.
Marshall J, Priore R, Haughey B, Rzepka T, Graham S . Spouse-subject interviews and the reliability of diet studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1980; 112(5):675-83. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113040. View
5.
Thun M, Calle E, Flanders W, Heath Jr C . Excess mortality among cigarette smokers: changes in a 20-year interval. Am J Public Health. 1995; 85(9):1223-30. PMC: 1615570. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.85.9.1223. View