Page 131 - Petelin, Ana. 2024. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | Health of the Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik prispevkov z recenzijo | Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press

madmen, murderers. Why do we sell cigarettes, allow prostitution…” Male, no
information on age, no information on smoking duration
“It is very difficult to speak with him, he forgets the questions or the purpose
of him calling. He says he smokes 15 cigarettes a day, is a widower. In the back-
ground, the television is on. He cannot explain why he called our phone num-
ber and shows obvious signs of dementia.” Male, 89, no information on smok-
ing duration
“She’s alone during the week, she doesn’t have any friends, lately she’s com-
pletely out of willpower... I ask about suicidal thoughts, she denies them...” Fe-
male, 71, a smoker for 30 years

Theme 2: Factors That Facilitate Non-Smoking
The most common physiological health problems were: cardiovascular diseas-
es (arterial hypertension, old myocardial infarction, ...), lung diseases (difficul- 131
ty breathing, cough, COPD, asthma), diabetes. In 7 cases, the counsellors on
the phone referred the caller to their GP, in 2 cases to a psychiatrist and in 2 cas-
es to a psychologist. In most cases they were advised to call other helplines for
psychological support or given numbers of Health Promotion Centers.
“He is also a cardiac patient and is noticing breathing problems.” Male, 72,
a smoker for 20 years
“He says he had a heart attack a while ago while smoking and drinking cof-
fee.” Male, 70, a smoker for 50 years smoking habits of older adults in slovenia – analysis of quitline calls
“In the past he stopped smoking for a year due to health problems, now
again for the same reason (elevated blood pressure, coughing, heart).” Male, no
information on age, a non-smoker for 10 days at time of call
“Says that she also has quite a few health problems - diabetes, elevated
blood pressure, knee problems ...” Female, 71 years old, a smoker for 30 years
“...[when he smokes] it is suffocating him, also has other health problems.”
Male, 64, a smoker for 48 years
Health was the most common motivational factor for quitting smoking,
and right after it, saving money. Only a few indicated that others had encour-
aged them to quit.
“Her main motivation is health - a pulmologist advised her to stop smok-
ing, and due to her low pension, she is motivated by the money she could save.”
Female, no information on age
“He also calculated how much he spent on cigarettes over the years and de-
cided to put 100 € away every month”. Male, no information on age, smoked for
45 years, non-smoker for 10 days at the time of call
“Besides health, her main motivation is saving money (she mentions that
she has exactly 6 € until pension, and had to decide whether to buy bread or cig-
arettes).” Female, 71, a smoker for 30 years