Cigarette smoking among health care workers at King Hussein Medical Center

The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of smoking among health care workers (HCWs) at King Hussein Medical Center (KHMC), the biggest tertiary-care center in Jordan.

Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire on cigarette smoking distributed among 760 HCWs. Questions were designed to collect various demographic parameters and different aspects related to cigarette smoking.

Six hundred HCWs returned the completed questionnaire. Responders were divided into 3 groups; physicians, 260 (43%); nurses, 250 (42%); and other HCWs, 90 (13%). Mean age (+/-SD) for the whole sample was 35.3 +/- 6.9 years. Men constituted 52%. The overall prevalence of smoking was 65%. Fifty-six percent of smokers smoked daily, with a mean consumption of 10 cigarettes per day. Smoking was more common among men (82%) than women (47%). The 31- to 40-year age group constituted nearly half the population studied; 58% of HCWs in this category were current smokers. In the physician group, the highest smoking rate was observed among family practitioners working in the emergency department (75%). Of the internists, 44% were current smokers. There was no statistical difference between the resident and specialist subgroups in this category (P = .45). All pulmonologists were nonsmokers, the second-lowest smoking rate was seen in the dermatologist subgroup (10%). The women in the nursing group had a smoking rate of 17% compared with the 49% of the men in the nursing group who smoked. In the other HCW group, 70% smoked cigarettes.

Our results showed a very high percentage of cigarette smoking among HCWs at KHMC. Smoking cessation programs should be introduced among Jordanian physicians.