Researching Cultural Differences in Health

Abstract

Tobacco smoking is the most important cause of premature death in developed countries and is rapidly becoming so in the developing world.Currently, about 3 million people die annually from this cause and this figure is expected to rise to 10 million over the next 25 years.As might be expected from two such eminent editors as Richard Doll and John Crofton, their book provides an authorative account of the knowledge acquired over the past 40 years about smoking as a behaviour, its health consequences, ways of combating it, and it promotion by the tobacco industry.All chapter authors are experts in their fields.For GPs and their primary care teams, there is a particularly useful chapter by Jonathon Foulds reviewing smoking cessation strategies and methods.This emphasizes the effectiveness of brief advice and encouragement given by primary health care professionals during consultations.Many studies have shown that, as a result of such brief intervention by GPs, a small percentage of those so advised stop smoking long-term.Nicotine replacement (gum, patches, nasal sprays) has been shown roughly to double long-term abstinence rates, compared with placebo and, therefore, to substantially enhance the effect of advice; but the perceived expensiveness of these products (which are not available on the NHS) seriously limits their use.The book is a valuable information source for academics, health service administrators, campaigners against tobacco, and many others.Although it is unlikely to find a place on the bookshelves of many practices, the importance of tobacco in relation to health could warrant such a place; it should certainly be in all postgraduate centre and medical school libraries.