One in five smokers lights up in hospital

The number of smokers lighting up on hospital grounds has fallen about seven percentage points since 1995, but roughly one in five still smoked during their hospital stay, according to a US study.
The findings, which appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reflect the experience of Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, where past research found that 25 percent of hospitalised smokers reported smoking on the grounds in 1995.
The study surveyed patients who smoked and were referred to the hospital's tobacco treatment program between 2007 to 2010, finding that the number of smokers lighting up during their entire stay fell to 18.4 percent.
One explanation for the decline, according to the researchers, may be the increased use of nicotine replacement therapy patches, lozenges, gum and inhalers.