Cigarette smoking among health care workers at King Hussein Medical Center.

OBJECTIVE: 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.

METHODS: 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.

RESULTS: 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.

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