Smoking Prevalence, Knowledge and Perceptions on Tobacco Control Among Healthcare Professionals: A Survey in an Italian Cancer Center

[Smoking behaviours among staff of two university hospitals in Paris, 2021]

INTRODUCTION

A survey on smoking prevalence was conducted among staff at the Georges Pompidou and Corentin Celton hospitals in the framework of the "smoke-free hospital" project. It aimed to determine the smoking status of different categories of personnel, their desire to be helped to quit and, as regards healthcare staff, whether or not they were encouraging patients who smoked to try to quit.

METHODS

From February to May 2021, an anonymous survey was distributed, first on paper in the occupational health unit, and then online in all wards.

RESULTS

All in all, 775 people, three quarters of whom were women, participated in the survey (15% of the workforce). Among the respondents, 27% said they smoked: 29.6% of the men and 26.1% of the women. Unsurprisingly, the age group with the highest prevalence was 18-24years. High prevalence was likewise found among technical and administrative staff. More than half of the smokers, who consumed an average of 8 cigarettes a day, were interested in receiving smoking cessation support. As regards smoking cessation support for patients, 49% of medical and nursing staff (70% of the doctors) frequently or systematically advised them to quit.

CONCLUSION

Our results illustrate a need to reach high-prevalence categories of smokers in a hospital setting, the objective being to help them to consider quitting, and also a need to train health professionals in smoking cessation counseling.

Tobacco use pattern and quitting behaviour among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from a pan India online survey

Background

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a definite role in tobacco control and can help immensely by setting examples. The current study aimed to study the tobacco use pattern and quitting behaviour among HCPs of India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We addressed the research objective using a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey using ‘google form” among 687 HCPs of India during December 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS.

Results

Overall, 32.6% of the HCPs were ever tobacco user while 23.4% and 16.9% were current and daily tobacco user. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 51.7% and 43.1% of HCPs cut down the frequency and amount of tobacco use respectively while for 24.1% COVID-19 pandemic exerted no effect on their tobacco use. Presence of vulnerable population at home [ adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 17.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3–92.2)], ever tobacco quit attempt [AOR: 13.5 (95% CI:2.7–67.7)] and history of COVID-19 disease [AOR: 5.1 (95% CI:1.3–20.7)] significantly determined reduced tobacco use (60.3%) during the pandemic. Similarly, reduced tobacco use during the pandemic [AOR: 4.8 (95% CI:1.7–13.5)] and perception of both smoking and smokeless tobacco form to be harmful for COVID-19 [AOR: 4.8 (95% CI:1.7–13.5)] were the independent correlates of tobacco quit attempt (50.0%) during the pandemic.

Conclusion

Tobacco use was quite rampant among the HCPs with every fourth and sixth being a current and daily tobacco user respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic three in every five HCPs surveyed reduced tobacco use while every second HCP made a quit attempt.