| Sumario: | The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of obesity, smoking and hazardous drinking, and identify opportunities for their reduction, among men admitted to the surgical wards of a regional hospital. A random sample of 80 patients were interviewed. Nineteen per cent were obese, 29% smoked and 16% drank hazardously. Forty-seven per cent and 52% of those who were obese or smokers, respectively, had tried unsuccessfully to reduce their weight or smoking before admission, but mostly without professional support. A further 13% wanted to reduce their smoking but had not tried. Fifty-five per cent continued to try or still wanted to reduce these factors 3 months after discharge. Obesity and smoking could be common among male surgical inpatients in regional hospitals, a significant proportion of whom may welcome professional help with improving their lifestyle, but a larger multi-hospital study is needed to confirm this.
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