Cited by 694Smoking Behavior and CessationSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesBehavioral Health and Interventions

Tobacco smoking: health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions

Open access
West, Robert·2017·Psychology & Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite reductions in prevalence in recent years, tobacco smoking remains one of the main preventable causes of ill-health and premature death worldwide. This paper reviews the extent and nature of harms caused by smoking, the benefits of stopping, patterns of smoking, psychological, pharmacological and social factors that contribute to uptake and maintenance of smoking, the effectiveness of population and individual level interventions aimed at combatting tobacco smoking, and the effectiveness of methods used to reduce the harm caused by continued use of tobacco or nicotine in some form. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Smoking behaviour is maintained primarily by the positive and negative reinforcing properties of nicotine delivered rapidly in a way that is affordable and palatable, with the negative health consequences mostly being sufficiently uncertain and distant in time not to create sufficient immediate concern to deter the behaviour. Raising immediate concerns about smoking by tax increases, social marketing and brief advice from health professionals can increase the rate at which smokers try to stop. Providing behavioural and pharmacological support can improve the rate at which those quit attempts succeed. Implementing national programmes containing these components are effective in reducing tobacco smoking prevalence and reducing smoking-related death and disease.

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Crossref · 10.1080/08870446.2017.1325890

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  • Withdrawal following smoking cessation is acutely associated with heightened levels of stress and negative affect.

    “Withdrawal following smoking cessation is acutely associated with heightened levels of stress and negative affect (Shiffman 2004; West 2017).”

    From Mindfulness for smoking cessation (2022) · cites this paper as West 2017

  • For people who are motivated to quit, adding pharmacologic therapy to counseling is more effective than either treatment alone.

    “for people who are motivated to quit, the addition of pharmacologic therapy to counseling is more effective than either treatment alone (289).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. West R., & Shiffman S (2016). Smoking cessation (3rd ed.). Abingdon: Health Press.

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Authors
West, R.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
West, Robert
Venue
Psychology & Health
Published
2017-05-28
Volume
32
Issue
8
Pages
1018-1036
ISSN
  • 0887-0446 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-8321
OpenAlex
W2618185743
Cited by
694
References
93
Citations by year
2026: 55 · 2025: 94 · 2024: 82 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 110 · 2021: 121 · 2020: 92 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 5
FWCI
5.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychology and Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Cancer Research UK (C1417/A22962)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
Keywords
smoking, nicotine dependence, smoking cessation, harm reduction, smoking prevalence, smoking-related mortality, nicotine reinforcement, smoking cessation interventions, brief advice, social marketing, tobacco taxation
MeSH terms
Smoking Prevention, Health Promotion, Humans, Risk Factors, Smoking, Prevalence, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

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