Chronic Airways Disease in the United Kingdom

Abstract

It is clear that wide variation exists among countries in efforts devoted to different aspects of respiratory disease epidemiology.

Inroads into the mortality rate for chronic bronchitis and emphysema depend on prevention. Relatively little is known about how to deter children (especially girls) from beginning to smoke, but if this knowledge could be gained, dramatic reduction in smoking prevalence could be achieved.

The MRC/Derbyshire smoking study suggests that antismoking intervention at age 12-14 is the most effective, but more recent unpublished work suggests that different kinds of intervention may be necessary for different groups. For example, peer-led interventions may be more appropriate for girls and teacher-led ones more appropriate for boys. Obviously more work in this area would help identify these factors more precisely.