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ScienceDaily_2014 15953.txt

#I smoke, but Iâ##m not a smoker: Why some non-identifying smokers face risks while denying behaviorwhile smoking among California adults has declined dramatically in recent decades researchers at the University of California San diego School of medicine report there is a surprisingly large number of people who say they use cigarettes but don't consider themselves to be smokers. Writing in the February 5 online issue of Tobacco Control Wael K. Al-Delaimy MD Phd professor and chief of the Division of Global Health in the UC San diego Department of Family and Preventive medicine and colleagues estimate that in 2011 almost 396000 Californians (12.3 percent of the state's population of smokers) smoked on a measurable basis but rejected the characterization of smoker. Almost 22 percent of these smokers consumed tobacco on a daily basis. Al-Delaimy said the phenomenon has both individual and social ramifications. For individuals the behavior puts them at many of the same health risks as identified smokers. There is no safe level of smoking he said. More broadly non-identification of non-identifying smokers or NIS may be negatively impacting efforts to reduce tobacco consumption by overlooking a significant segment of the affected population the researchers said. This is especially true at the clinical setting where physicians might ask patients if they smoke and patient fail to identify themselves as smokers. In their cross-sectional analysis of the 2011 California Longitudinal Smokers Survey Al-Delaimy and colleagues defined NIS as persons who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime reported smoking at least one day in the past 30 days or who said they smoked at least some days. In all cases when asked if they considered themselves to be a smoker the respondents replied No. The researchers believe NIS can generally be divided into two groups with distinct rationalizations for asserting their nonsmoker status: According to previous studies the first group consists of young adults who primarily smoke (and drink) socially and who believe they are addicted not to nicotine. And for the first time NIS includes a second group of adults over the age of 45 who were formerly regular smokers and had failed most likely repeated attempts to completely quit. These people said Al-Delaimy might seek to avoid the label of smoker. The younger NIS are typically college students who smoke as a means of social facilitation and who believe they can quit at any time he said. Older NIS are likely the result of stigmatization produced by comprehensive tobacco control programs. They've become marginalized parts of society who see little advantage in identifying themselves as smokers or providing accurate reports of their smoking behavior. Often the study authors noted NIS belong to specific ethnic minority groups notably black and Asian. Al-Delaimy said the findings that NIS exist in numbers much greater than previous estimates suggests future surveys should be redesigned to better account for how smokers perceive themselves so that subsequent interventions media campaigns and public health policies can be refined to more effectively reach smokers who don't think they're smokers. There is a risk for such smokers to continue to smoke and be impacted adversely by the tobacco they smoke yet they do not seek any assistance nor do they plan to quit because they falsely believe they are not smokers Al-Delaimy said This more complex issue of identity and self-perception of smokers in today's social environment will require further studies and understanding. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of California San diego Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e

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