MUNICH, Germany – More than half of European smokers who suffer a heart attack, bypass surgery or other serious heart problem are still smoking a year later, despite anti-smoking campaigns and doctors’ advice to stop, a new study found.
“We are disappointed because people are not stopping smoking, but how effectively are they advised to give up smoking?” said Dr. Jaakko Tuomilehto, a public health expert at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland.
Programs to help smokers kick the habit don’t exist in many cardiovascular clinics, and doctors have just been telling patients to stop smoking, which is not enough, said Tuomilehto, who was not involved with the research.
“It is an addictive state, and these poor people are not receiving the right treatment. They would like to stop, but they need better help,” he said.
Experts at the American Heart Association say the situation among U.S. smokers isn’t much different.
The research, led by scientists at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, involved 5,551 people in 15 European countries. About a year and a half later, they were interviewed about their smoking and given a carbon monoxide breath test to verify their answers.
About 40 percent of the patients were smoking before they had their heart scare. About 52 percent of those people continued to smoke after they had recovered.
Studies have shown that nicotine replacement therapy, drugs that help curb the craving, and government policies such as smoking bans in public places can substantially improve the chances of people kicking the habit.
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