Prevalencia de consumo de tabaco entre los trabajadores del Área de Salud de la Isla de La Palma

Abstract

IntroductionSmoking is a serious public health problem that does not decrease despite the efforts of the health authorities. In this scenario, healthcare workers could collaborate educating, setting an example and raising awareness of patients and their relatives. To this end, they must be aware of the problem and have, as a group, a low smoking prevalence. The motivation for this article is to assess smoking prevalence among healthcare workers in La Palma and the factors associated to this toxic habit. Material and methodsA survey for healthcare workers on the island of La Palma is designed and applied with sociodemographic, labour and smoking habits questions and a multivariable analysis of data was conducted. Results625 surveys were performed. The median age of respondents was 40 years old. They were mostly women (68%). Global smoking prevalence was of 33%; that of the group of healthcare workers without university education was of 43%; prevalence is higher among those who work shifts or occasional night shifts. The number of daily smoked cigarettes was 17,5. The 31% of workers had never tried to quit the habit and 46% is in a precontemplation phase. ConclusionsPrevalence among healthcare workers is higher than general population, both nationally and locally. In this location, the subgroup of healthcare workers who had not been professionally trained showed a very had prevalence. Any smoking prevention plan must begin with awareness and giving up techniques for workers of healthcare institutions.