Included are such diseases as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer, among many others. Perhaps the most talked and written about disease in this category is lung cancer. There is now widespread agreement that lung cancer results from long-term cigarette smoking. The following material is designed to provide a description of the role of behavior in forming and stopping this habit. The smoking habit and lung cancer represent an excellent example of the Health-Behavior interaction.
Cigarette smoking is a habit, e.g. a behavior.
Once the habit begins it can be regularly reinforced by chemical or psychological factors. Psychologically, it may reduce anxiety, provide an activity or simply be a vehicle for interacting with one's peers. At a certain point the habit may become so strongly ingrained that it becomes extremely difficult to stop. There are now available numerous products designed to help stop smoking. Many of them make use of nicotine replacements, such as gum or patches, designed to help the smoker gradually reduce the need to smoke.