The study, published in the journal Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonology, followed 327 college students aged 18 to 24 who participated in programmes to help them quit smoking. More than half the students had smoked for one to five years, and smoked five to 10 cigarettes a day.
Those who quit smoking for two weeks or more reported notably fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing, than those who failed to kick the habit, according to researchers at the University of Texas in the United States.
“That the benefit of stopping smoking starts in days to weeks – not years or decades – is important,’ said Dr Harold Farber, an associate professor of paediatrics in the pulmonology section at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a HealthDay News report. ‘Now healthcare providers can counsel young smokers that their breathing can feel better soon after they stop. This can help to motivate young adults to stop smoking before the severe damage is done.”
Source: HealthDay News
