Smoking at the hospital intensity of tobacco addiction and views about quitting in health-care workers who smoke at the hospital

Fumando en el hospital. Intensidad de adicción y actitudes hacia el abandono del tabaco en trabajadores de la salud que fuman en el hospital.

Background: Befare mandatory smoke-free hospitals regulations were imp/emented, health-care workers who smoked in the hospital could be interviewed about the intensity of addiction and their attitudes towards smoking cessation.  Objective: To describe the demographic characteristics, intensity of addiction and attitudes towards smoking cessation among health-care workers who smoked at the hospital. 

Design: Cross sectional study. 

Setting: General Hospital in Bogotá. 

Patients and Methods: We collected data on demographic characteristics of health-care workers who were found smoking and asked them about their perceptions regarding their pulmonary health, intensity
of addiction (Fagerstrom test), interest in quitting and attempts to quit. 

Results: During a 12-hour period, we interviewed 42 health-care workers who were smoking atan area of the hospital designated far this purpose. 54% of them were fema/es and the mean age was 36 years. 63% had a low-level addiction according to the Feqerstrom test (lower than 3 points). 78% were motivated to quit and 63% had made an attempt to quit within the three previous months, but 98% of these workers had not searched far professional counseling or help. 

Conclusions: Health-care workers who smoke at the hospital do not seem to have ahigh-level of addiction, and although interested in quitting, do not seek professional support. Thus, targeting smoking cessation programs to this population could be useful.