Impact of the LDS church's health doctrine on deaths from diseases and conditions associated with cigarette smoking

• Published in: Annals of epidemiology 2003-11, Vol.13 (10), p.704-711
• Main Authors: Merrill, Ray M, Hilton, Sterling C, Daniels, Melissa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Christianity; Female; Humans; Life Table; Life Tables; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Public Policy; Religion; Smoking - mortality; Tobacco Control and Prevention; United States - epidemiology; Utah - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1047-2797; 1873-2585
• DOI: 10.1016/S1047-2797(03)00063-2

This study provides a quantitative assessment of the impact the LDS Church's health doctrine has on deaths and years of potential life lost (YPLL) from diseases and conditions associated with cigarette smoking in Utah. Pooled estimates of relative risk from review articles and meta-analyses in combination with 1996 Utah smoking prevalence data were used to calculate smoking-attributed etiologic fractions, deaths, and YPLL. Numbers of deaths attributed to smoking between 1994 and 1998 in Utah are 1730 for LDS men, 721 for LDS women, 1739 for non-LDS men, and 1138 for non-LDS women. Corresponding annual crude death rates attributed to smoking (per 100,000) are 46.5, 18.9, 133.9, and 90.1. YPLL due to smoking for the study period are 22,338 for LDS men, 9205 for LDS women, 21,771 for non-LDS men, and 13,168 for non-LDS women. Corresponding YPLL crude rates are 600.6, 241.2, 1676.7, and 1043.3. If smoking-attributed death and YPLL rates for non-LDS matched LDS, there would be 1135 fewer deaths for men and 899 fewer deaths for women, and 13,973 fewer years of life lost for men and 10,124 fewer YPLL for women between 1994 and 1998 in Utah. The LDS Church's health doctrine concerning tobacco goes beyond health risk information and social and financial considerations to include a religious dimension. Consequently, LDS experience a comparatively low burden of death and YPLL attributed to smoking.