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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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%)

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

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”