Inside the Minds and Habits of Smokers Kathryn Kahler Vose

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Inside the Minds and Habits of Smokers - Kathryn
Kahler Vose

• What Quitters Want
• December 7, 2005

Data presented from the PNStyles Database unless
otherwise noted.
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Inside the Minds of Smokers

• Risk
• Smokers are high sensation seekers
• Smokers are more interested in living now instead
  of living longer
• Only 32.9 of smokers said they do everything
  they can to stay healthy compared to 50.3 of
  nonsmokers

Donohew, et al. Personality and Risky Behavior
Communication and prevention. Elsevier Science,
2004.
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Inside the Minds of Smokers

• Health
• Only 59.8 of smokers agree that living life in
  the best possible health is very important to
  them compared to 72.1 of nonsmokers
• Smokers do not view their doctors as partners in
  their health care

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Inside the Minds of Smokers

• Physical Appearance
• Looking healthy is important to 70.3 of smokers
• Self Profile
• Smokers perceive themselves as more adventurous,
  more youthful, more creative.
• They feel they are trendsetters.

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Inside the Habits of Smokers

• Religion/Spirituality
• Smokers participate less in religious activities
  than nonsmokers (14.8 v. 30.1)
• Only 35.2 of smokers consider themselves
  spiritual compared to 45.9 of nonsmokers
• On the Edgier Side
• Only 9.8 of smokers listen to Religious/Gospel
  music compared to 16.1 of nonsmokers
• 38.2 of smokers listen to Alternative or
  Progressive Rock/Hard Rock compared to 22.0 of
  nonsmokers
• 17.4 of smokers read Playboy or Cosmopolitan
  compared to 9.1 of nonsmokers
• 27.8 of smokers regularly go to bars or
  nightclubs vs. only 14.1 of nonsmokers

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Inside the Habits of Smokers

• Playing the Odds
• Gambling (25.8 v. 15.1)
• Playing Cards (46.9 v. 36.6)
• Lottery Tickets/Scratch-Offs (39.3 v. 23.4)
• Health is not a Priority
• Only 47.7 of smokers are actively trying to
  prevent disease and illness compared to 61.8 of
  nonsmokers

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What does this mean for helping smokers quit?

• Do they think they need help? If so, where do
  they go?
• More than 30 say that when it comes to new
  health information, I am tired of people telling
  me what to do.
• Primary media source for health information is
  the Internet (48.4) followed by magazines
  (31.7) and television (11.5). Radio is least
  used source (1.1)
• Their primary source of information about a
  health condition is the Internet (35.5)
• They will turn to a friend or family member for
  information on a health condition more often than
  nonsmokers (14.7 v. 9.8)

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What does this mean for reaching smokers?

• Change the Why
• Health fairs and physician outreach may not be as
  effective with this group as a whole
• Novel or trendy approaches may attract and hold
  their attention
• Lifestyle Appeal
• Smoking is not a health issue to smokers, it is a
  lifestyle choice
• Quitting smoking is seen as a loss rather than a
  gain
• The social benefits to quitting may resonate

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Looking Ahead

• Great progress to inform the public about the
  dangers of smoking and many have quit as a result
  of health messaging
• For those not yet reached, audiences should be
  approached as consumers
• Motivation to quit is to attain a more appealing
  lifestyle move from should quit to want to
  be a nonsmoker