Smoking cessation

Not all people with lung disease have a history of smoking. However if your patient is a current smoker, the most important thing they can do to slow the rate of deterioration of their lung function is to quit.

The following graph shows the effects that smoking and smoking cessation can have on lung function decline. The set of curves shows normal lung function decline for non-smoking men as well as the risks for death and disability for men who smoke.1

At Lung Foundation Australia, we support proven, registered, therapeutic smoking cessation methods and medicines. We recommend a strategy that includes clinical counselling together with nicotine replacement therapy or other evidence-based forms of pharmacotherapy.

Lung Age Estimator
Our ‘Lung Age Estimator’ is a useful tool health professionals can use to motivate patients to quit smoking. By entering a patient’s age, height, gender and FEV (Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second), their lung age is estimated. A graph is also shown which highlights the rate of lung function decline.
Find out more

For your patients

Our dedicated quit smoking information webpage provides helpful tips and links for your patients.

Reference

1 Fletcher, C and Peto, R. The natural history of chronic airflow obstruction. BMJ. 1977, Vol. 1, pp.1645-1648.