Smokers do better in groups when trying to quit

                   
iht.com     May 22, 2008            

For years, smokers have been exhorted to take the initiative and quit - use a nicotine patch, chew nicotine gum, take a prescription medication that can help, call a help line, just say no. But a new study finds that stopping is seldom an individual decision. The U.S. study, by Dr. Nicholas... [read full story]                    

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Kicking the habit may be contagious, study finds

reuters.com     May 21, 2008          

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nothing may feel lonelier than trying to quit smoking, but in fact, people kick the habit in clusters, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. The same team of experts who found that obesity may be socially contagious said they found...                    

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Quitting Smoking Good for Your Social Health, Too

newswise.com     May 21, 2008          

Keywords SMOKING, SMOKING CESSATION, SOCIAL NETWORKS, SOCIAL-NETWORK EFFECTS, QUITTING SMOKING, PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIAL HEALTH, SOCIALLY CONTAGIOUS Description Putting down cigarettes for good can have unexpected social benefits, according to new research from Harvard and UC San Diego. Newswise —...                    

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Smoking Is Addictive, but Quitting Is Contagious

newswise.com     May 21, 2008          

A study of 12,067 people over a period of 32 years has found that people quit smoking in droves. Through reconstructing the social network of the 12,067 individuals, researchers discovered that smoking cessation occurs in network clusters. Those who continue to smoke are increasingly pushed to...                    

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Urge to smoke -- and quit -- appears contagious

usatoday.com     May 21, 2008          

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling...                    

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Friends quit smoking? You probably will too (AP)

yahoo.com     May 21, 2008          

AP - The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.                    

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Groups of quitting smokers act like flocks of birds

pheedo.com     May 21, 2008          

Teenagers are often pressured into lighting up their first cigarette by their friends, but a new study finds that total strangers persuade smokers to quit. "In a very deep way, people's smoking cessation decisions resemble flocking of birds," says Nicholas Christakis, a social scientist at...                    

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If your friends quit smoking, chances are you will too, says study of social patterns

startribune.com     May 21, 2008          

By ALICIA CHANG , Associated Press LOS ANGELES - A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did. What's more, smokers tend to quit...                    

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Friends quit smoking? You probably will too

wtopnews.com     May 22, 2008          

By ALICIA CHANG AP Science Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Your smoking behavior depends upon not just the smoking behavior of the people you know, but also the people who they know" and so on, said Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a medical sociologist at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the new...                    

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Does Shunning Smokers Help Them Quit?

msn.com     May 21, 2008          

How the 'pariah effect' is changing America's smoking habits, and why nonsmokers should show more compassion for the addicted. But dedicated smokers don't just brave the elements; increasingly, they also have to face the scornful looks of passers-by. In a study published in the May 22 issue of...                    

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Kicking the habit is contagious, study finds (AFP)

yahoo.com     May 21, 2008          

WASHINGTON (AFP) - When you stub out that last cigarette, vowing never to light another, you need not feel alone. Chances are your spouse, your best friend and even your co-workers will follow suit. Even people in your milieu who you don't know very well are likely to be influenced by your...                    

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