Smoking Doctors?

Do Doctors Smoke?
In Section A1 one of the reasons for smoking was: 'If smoking is bad for you, why do so many doctors smoke?'

(Source: Smoking OR Health)
Figure 3 - Percentage of male doctors who smoke.

Do most doctors smoke? Figures 3 and 4 give some information.

1. In 1951, 54% of male doctors smoked. What percentage smoked 20 years later?
2. Write a short paragraph comparing male doctors' smoking habits with those of all men.
3. Approximately when did doctors over 60 last smoke as many cigarettes, on average, as all men over 60?
4. *How would you collect information to draw graphs like Figures 3 and 4? Describe how you might overcome some of the problems you could expect to meet.
5. *Figure 3 shows that a smaller proportion of doctors smoke now than 20 years ago. It does not show that, over the years, doctors who used to smoke have given up smoking. Why not? How could you find out whether this has happened?

(Source: Smoking OR Health)
Figure 4 - Number of cigarettes smoked.

Healthy Doctors?
Over the last 25 years many doctors have given up smoking.

1. What do you think made them do so?

We have seen that the proportion of doctors who smoke is now lower than it was.

2. How would you expect this to affect doctors' death rates for diseases associated with smoking?

(Source: Smoking OR Health)
Table 5 - Death rates per 100000 for male doctors and for all men aged 20 - 64 in England and Wales.

Table 5 shows the death rates of male doctors and all men due to different diseases.

Between 1954-59 and 1966-71 the death rate for all men from all diseases fell from 695 to 649 per 100000.

This is a decrease of 6.6%: (^{649 - 695}/ ₆₉₅) x 100 = -6.6

In the same period of time the death rate for all men from diseases associated with smoking rose from 300 to 337. This is an increase of 12.3%

3. Over the same time period how has the death rate of male doctors from all diseases changed? What percentage change is this?
4. Over the same time period, how has the death rate of male doctors from diseases associated with smoking changed? What percentage change is this?
5. Compare your answers for c and d with the figures given for all men and with your answer to C1b. Is there evidence of a connection between smoking and death rates?

No Smoke Without Fire?
Studies on British doctors show that non-smokers live, on average, five years longer than a person who smokes 20 cigarettes a day.

1. How many days are there in 40 years?
2. Suppose a person smokes 20 cigarettes a day for 40 years. How many cigarettes does he smoke?
3. How many minutes are there in five years? (Assume 1 leap year.)
4. If smoking has shortened this person's life by five years, how many minutes is this for each cigarette?

A more detailed study, allowing for different smoking rates concluded that: 'Every cigarette smoked shortens your life by 5¹/₂ minutes.'

5. Describe in your own words what this means.

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