[Smoking habits among staff at the Rochefort-sur-Mer Hospital]

[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.

Prevalence of tobacco use in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To estimate tobacco use prevalence in healthcare workers (HCW) by country income level, occupation and sex, and compare the estimates with the prevalence in the general population.

METHODS

We systematically searched five databases; Medline, EMBASE, CINHAL Plus, CAB Abstracts, and LILACS for original studies published between 2000 and March 2016 without language restriction. All primary studies that reported tobacco use in any category of HCW were included. Study extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by three reviewers, using a standardised data extraction and quality appraisal form. We performed random effect meta-analyses to obtain prevalence estimates by World Bank (WB) country income level, sex, and occupation. Data on prevalence of tobacco use in the general population were obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Observatory website. The review protocol registration number on PROSPERO is CRD42016041231.

RESULTS

229 studies met our inclusion criteria, representing 457,415 HCW and 63 countries: 29 high-income countries (HIC), 21 upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 13 lower-middle-and-low-income countries (LMLIC). The overall pooled prevalence of tobacco use in HCW was 21%, 31% in males and 17% in females. Highest estimates were in male doctors in UMIC and LMLIC, 35% and 45%, and female nurses in HIC and UMIC, 21% and 25%. Heterogeneity was high (I2 > 90%). Country level comparison suggest that in HIC male HCW tend to have lower prevalence compared with males in the general population while in females the estimates were similar. Male and female HCW in UMIC and LMLIC tend to have similar or higher prevalence rates relative to their counterparts in the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

HCW continue to use tobacco at high rates. Tackling HCW tobacco use requires urgent action as they are at the front line for tackling tobacco use in their patients.