Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 1997 Nov;89(11):745–751.

Attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding smoking and smoking cessation among African-American physicians and dentists.

H A Hill 1, R L Braithwaite 1
PMCID: PMC2608287  PMID: 9375479

Abstract

African-American physicians and dentists in metropolitan Atlanta were surveyed to assess smoking cessation practices and perceptions. Questionnaires were mailed to 373 physicians and 90 dentists. A total of 154 questionnaires were returned, for an overall response rate of 33.3%. More physicians than dentists considered smoking a "very serious" threat to patients' health, and physicians were more likely to document smoking status in charts and to counsel smokers to quit. Physicians also were approached more frequently by patients seeking cessation advice. Both types of practitioners considered the nicotine patch, formal cessation programs, and behavior modification/psychotherapy to be among the most effective cessation methods, and nicotine gum and acupuncture to be among the least effective. These results indicate African-American physicians are much more involved than dentists in promoting smoking cessation among patients. Advice of health professionals generally is viewed as a powerful influence for African-American patients. Further work is needed to utilize fully the power of health care providers, especially dentists, in the fight against tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.

Full text

PDF
745

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brink S. G., Gottlieb N. H., McLeroy K. R., Wisotzky M., Burdine J. N. A community view of smoking cessation counseling in the practices of physicians and dentists. Public Health Rep. 1994 Jan-Feb;109(1):135–142. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cigarette smoking among adults--United States, 1993. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1994 Dec 23;43(50):925–930. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cigarette smoking among adults--United States, 1994. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1996 Jul 12;45(27):588–590. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chestnutt I. G., Binnie V. I. Smoking cessation counselling--a role for the dental profession? Br Dent J. 1995 Dec 9;179(11-12):411–415. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4808944. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen S. J., Stookey G. K., Katz B. P., Drook C. A., Christen A. G. Helping smokers quit: a randomized controlled trial with private practice dentists. J Am Dent Assoc. 1989 Jan;118(1):41–45. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1989.0018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Demers R. Y., Neale A. V., Adams R., Trembath C., Herman S. C. The impact of physicians' brief smoking cessation counseling: a MIRNET study. J Fam Pract. 1990 Dec;31(6):625–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frank E., Winkleby M. A., Altman D. G., Rockhill B., Fortmann S. P. Predictors of physician's smoking cessation advice. JAMA. 1991 Dec 11;266(22):3139–3144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fried J. L., Cohen L. A. Maryland dentists' attitudes regarding tobacco issues. Clin Prev Dent. 1992 Mar-Apr;14(2):10–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gerbert B., Coates T., Zahnd E., Richard R. J., Cummings S. R. Dentists as smoking cessation counselors. J Am Dent Assoc. 1989 Jan;118(1):29–32. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1989.0017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Goldstein B., Fischer P. M., Richards J. W., Jr, Goldstein A., Shank J. C. Smoking counseling practices of recently trained family physicians. J Fam Pract. 1987 Feb;24(2):195–197. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hymowitz N., Jackson J., Carter R., Eckholdt H. Past quit smoking assistance and doctors' advice for white and African-American smokers. J Natl Med Assoc. 1996 Apr;88(4):249–252. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kabat G. C., Morabia A., Wynder E. L. Comparison of smoking habits of blacks and whites in a case-control study. Am J Public Health. 1991 Nov;81(11):1483–1486. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.11.1483. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Landrine H., Richardson J. L., Klonoff E. A., Flay B. Cultural diversity in the predictors of adolescent cigarette smoking: the relative influence of peers. J Behav Med. 1994 Jun;17(3):331–346. doi: 10.1007/BF01857956. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Logan H., Levy S., Ferguson K., Pomrehn P., Muldoon J. Tobacco-related attitudes and counseling practices of Iowa dentists. Clin Prev Dent. 1992 Jan-Feb;14(1):19–22. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Maheux B., Dufort F., Béland F., Jacques A., Lévesque A. Female medical practitioners. More preventive and patient oriented? Med Care. 1990 Jan;28(1):87–92. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Marín G., Pérez-Stable E. J. Effectiveness of disseminating culturally appropriate smoking-cessation information: Programa Latino Para Dejar de Fumar. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1995;(18):155–163. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mullins R. Attitudes and smoking habits of dentists in Victoria: 16 years on. Aust Dent J. 1994 Oct;39(5):324–326. doi: 10.1111/j.1834-7819.1994.tb05571.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ockene J. K. Physician-delivered interventions for smoking cessation: strategies for increasing effectiveness. Prev Med. 1987 Sep;16(5):723–737. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(87)90054-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pederson L. L. Compliance with physician advice to quit smoking: a review of the literature. Prev Med. 1982 Jan;11(1):71–84. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(82)90006-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Roter D., Lipkin M., Jr, Korsgaard A. Sex differences in patients' and physicians' communication during primary care medical visits. Med Care. 1991 Nov;29(11):1083–1093. doi: 10.1097/00005650-199111000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Royce J. M., Hymowitz N., Corbett K., Hartwell T. D., Orlandi M. A. Smoking cessation factors among African Americans and whites. COMMIT Research Group. Am J Public Health. 1993 Feb;83(2):220–226. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.2.220. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Secker-Walker R. H., Hill H. C., Solomon L. J., Flynn B. S. Smoking cessation practices in dental offices. J Public Health Dent. 1987 Winter;47(1):10–15. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1987.tb01952.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Secker-Walker R. H., Solomon L. J., Hill H. C. A statewide survey of dentists' smoking cessation advice. J Am Dent Assoc. 1989 Jan;118(1):37–40. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1989.0008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sherin K. Smoking cessation: the physician's role. Postgrad Med. 1982 Sep;72(3):99-102, 104-6. doi: 10.1080/00325481.1982.11716185. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Stillman F. A., Bone L. R., Rand C., Levine D. M., Becker D. M. Heart, body, and soul: a church-based smoking-cessation program for Urban African Americans. Prev Med. 1993 May;22(3):335–349. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1993.1028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Strecher V. J., O'Malley M. S., Villagra V. G., Campbell E. E., Gonzalez J. J., Irons T. G., Kenney R. D., Turner R. C., Rogers C. S., Lyles M. F. Can residents be trained to counsel patients about quitting smoking? Results from a randomized trial. J Gen Intern Med. 1991 Jan-Feb;6(1):9–17. doi: 10.1007/BF02599383. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Tomar S. L., Husten C. G., Manley M. W. Do dentists and physicians advise tobacco users to quit? J Am Dent Assoc. 1996 Feb;127(2):259–265. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1996.0179. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Vander Martin R., Cummings S. R., Coates T. J. Ethnicity and smoking: differences in white, black, Hispanic, and Asian medical patients who smoke. Am J Prev Med. 1990 Jul-Aug;6(4):194–199. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES