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Abstract:  This study investigated how treatment options, symptom severity, prediagnosis levels of physical functioning, comorbidity, gender, and age predicted current physical functioning in geriatric patients with small-cell or non-small-cell lung cancer, 12 weeks after their diagnosis. The study involved 146 patients aged 65 years and over with an incident diagnosis of lung cancer. Analysis of covariance revealed no significant differences in physical functioning according to treatment type, small-cell versus non-small-cell classification or gender. Significant predictors of current physical functioning were symptom severity and prior physical functioning. The characteristics of a high-risk profile for disruption in physical functioning of elderly lung cancer patients 12 weeks after their diagnosis would include pre-existing physical impairment and high levels of symptomatology.

Realschule (secondary level) students from two schools in Munich, Germany were surveyed as to their knowledge, attitudes and preventive efforts regarding exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and the associated health risks. Differences in knowledge, attitudes and preventive efforts were examined in relation to gender, smoking behavior of the individual, father, mother, siblings and friends. Knowledge, attitudes and preventive efforts all varied significantly according to smoking behavior of the respondent. Attitudes and preventive efforts were also closely associated with the smoking behavior of the mother and the female peer group, whereas this strong association was not evident in relation to smoking behavior of the father and the male peer group. Similarly, smoking behavior of daughters was significantly associated with smoking behavior of mothers, but there was no corresponding association between smoking behavior of sons and fathers. The students tended to not be very assertive in their preventive efforts. They did not avoid the presence of smokers, nor did they generally ask others not to smoke in their presence. Health education programs for adolescents must involve parents (particularly mothers) and peers, and should stress the right of the individual to a nonsmoking environment.