Smoking: rates and attitudes among nursing staff in central Sydney

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and predictors of smoking and attitudes to smoking-related issues among nurses employed by the Central Sydney Area Health Service in Sydney, Australia. A self-administered questionnaire, was distributed via the internal mail system of the Central Sydney Area Health Service in November 1997 to 610 randomly selected nursing staff. Twenty-one per cent (n = 127) of respondents smoked. Smokers were significantly younger than non-smokers and were more likely to speak mainly English at home. There were clear differences between smokers and non-smokers in response to all attitude statements. Interventions specifically directed at nurses who smoke to assist them to stop and maintain cessation are indicated. Future health service workplace tobacco control programmes should address deficits in knowledge about the health effects of passive smoking, should raise awareness among nurses who smoke about their potential to affect the behaviours of others through modelling, and should provide all nurses with the skills required to be smoking educators and advocates for tobacco control.