Perceptions and attitude towards tobacco smoking among doctors in Chandigarh

Two hundred and eighteen randomly selected doctors drawn from among the faculty and students of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research; Interns and staff at the General Hospital; and General practitioners of the Chandigarh city, were administered a structured questionnaire. Among them 31.6% were current smokers whereas 23.3% had stopped smoking (ex-smokers). All but one of the smokers were men who smoked cigarettes. Spirit of experimentation and peer influence were important initiating factors whereas the habit was continued mainly to concentrate on work/study. Doctors were uniformly aware of the detrimental effects of smoking, particularly its association with lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and coronary artery disease, and this was the major reason for their abstaining or wanting to quit the habit. The relation of smoking with oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, emphysema and peripheral vascular disease was not well appreciated. Counselling patients about hazards of smoking was practised significantly less often by smoking doctors and surgeons. The options favoured by doctors for preventing smoking included a ban on tobacco advertising, specific health warning on cigarette/bidi packs, and restriction of smoking in public places, particularly hospitals and clinics.