An Important Quiz for Older Smokers

     If you or someone you know is an older smoker, you may think that there is no point in quitting now. Think again. By quitting smoking now, you will feel more in control and have fewer coughs and colds. On the other hand, with every cigarette you smoke, you increase your chances of having a heart attack, a stroke, or cancer. Need to think about this more? Take this older smokers’ I.Q. quiz. Just answer "true" or "false" to each statement below.

True or False

2. Older smokers who try to quit are more likely to stay off cigarettes. 

True    or    False

3. Smokers get tired and short of breath more easily than nonsmokers the same age.

True    or    False

4. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke among adults 60 years of age and  older.

True    or    False

5. Quitting smoking can help those who have already had a heart attack.

True    or    False

6. Most older smokers don’t want to stop smoking.

True    or    False

7. An older smoker is more likely to smoke more cigarettes than a younger smoker.

True    or    False

8. Someone who has smoked for 30 to 40 years probably won’t be able to quit smoking.

True    or    False

9. Very few older adults smoke cigarettes.

True    or    False

10. Lifelong smokers are more likely to die of diseases like emphysema and bronchitis than nonsmokers.

True    or    False     

(Test results below)

Test Results

1. If you have smoked for most of your life, it’s not worth stopping now.

False

Nonsense! You have every reason to quit now and quit for good—even if you’ve been smoking for years. Stopping smoking will help you live longer and feel better. You will reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer; improve blood flow and lung function; and help stop diseases like emphysema and bronchitis from getting worse.

 

2. Older smokers who try to quit are more likely to stay off cigarettes.

True

Once they quit, older smokers are far more likely than younger smokers to stay away from cigarettes. Older smokers know more about both the short- and long-term health benefits of quitting.

 

3. Smokers get tired and short of breath more easily than nonsmokers the same age.

True

Smokers, especially those over 50 years old, are much more likely to get tired, feel short of breath, and cough more often. These symptoms can signal the start of bronchitis or emphysema, both of which are suffered more often by older smokers. Stopping smoking will help reduce these symptoms.

 

4. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke among adults 60 years of age and older.

True

Smoking is a major risk factor for four of the five leading causes of death including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. For adults 60 and over, smoking is a major risk factor for six of the top 14 causes of death. Older male smokers are nearly twice as likely to die from stroke as older men who do not smoke. The odds are nearly as high for older female smokers. Cigarette smokers of any age have a 70 percent greater heart disease death rate than do nonsmokers.

 

5. Quitting smoking can help those who have already had a heart attack.

True

The good news is that stopping smoking does help people who have suffered a heart attack. In fact, their chances of having another attack are smaller. In some cases, ex-smokers can cut their risk of another heart attack by half or more.

 

6. Most older smokers don’t want to stop smoking.

False

Most smokers would prefer to quit. In fact, in a recent study, 65 percent of older
smokers said that they would like to stop. What keeps them from quitting? They are afraid of being irritable, nervous, and tense. Others are concerned about cravings for cigarettes. Most don’t want to gain weight. Many think it’s too late to quit—that quitting after so many years of smoking will not help. But this is not true.

 

7. An older smoker is more likely to smoke more cigarettes than a younger smoker.

True

Older smokers usually smoke more cigarettes than younger people. Plus, older
smokers are more likely to smoke high nicotine brands.

 

8. Someone who has smoked for 30 to 40 years probably won’t be able to quit smoking.

False

You may be surprised to learn that older smokers are actually more likely to succeed at quitting smoking. This is more true if they’re already experiencing long-term smoking-related symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, or chest pain. Older smokers who stop want to avoid further health problems, take control of their life, get rid of the smell of cigarettes, and save money.

 

9. Very few older adults smoke cigarettes.

False

One out of five adults aged 50 or older smokes cigarettes. This is more than 11 million smokers, a fourth of the country’s 43 million smokers! About 25 percent of the general U.S. population still smokes.

 

10. Lifelong smokers are more likely to die of diseases like emphysema and bronchitis than nonsmokers.

True

Smoking greatly increases the risk of dying from diseases like emphysema and
bronchitis. In fact, over 80 percent of all deaths from these two diseases are directly due to smoking. The risk of dying from lung cancer is also a lot higher for smokers than nonsmokers: 22 times higher for males, 12 times higher for females.

For more information on stopping smoking, write:

     NHLBI Information Center
     P.O. Box 30105
     Bethesda, MD 20824-0105

For more information on stopping smoking, write:

     NHLBI Information Center
     P.O. Box 30105
     Bethesda, MD 20824-0105

Prepared by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

     U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
     Public Health Services
     National Institutes of Health
     NIH Publication No. 91-3031
     October 1991