A simple discussion of lung capacity appears to double the rate patients follow a doctor's advice to quit smoking.

A study published online March 7 in the British journal BMJ suggests that if a doctor tells smokers their "lung age" - the age of the average healthy nonsmoker who would match them in breathing strength - they are more like to stop smoking.

Using a spirometer, a device that measures how fast and how much air a person can breathe, British doctors tested 561 smokers, men and women with a average age of 53.

Half were randomly assigned to receive their results as lung age, explained with a chart showing lung capacity as it normally decreases with age.  The other half were told the amount of air in liters they could force out in one second and were to return in a year "to see if there has been any change in lung function."

The subjects with readings that suggested a medical problem were referred to their physicians.

Regardless of the results, all participants were advised to quit smoking, informed about government programs to stop smoking and told that the test of lung function did not show anything about other serious diseases taht smoking causes.

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