Table 4.
Survey responses of cardiologists and respiratory physicians compared to all other participants.
| Participant Characteristics and Responses (n = 262) | Cardiologists and Respiratory Physicians | All Others | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87 (33.2%) | 175 (66.8%) | ||
| Gender | |||
| Males | 58 (66.7%) | 66 (37.7%) | <0.001 |
| Females | 29 (33.3%) | 109 (62.3%) | |
| Age | 43 (9) | 37 (8) | <0.001 |
| Working sector | |||
| Public sector | 49 (56.3%) | 113 (64.6%) | 0.195 |
| Private sector | 38 (43.7%) | 62 (35.4%) | |
| Working time | 15 (9) | 11 (7) | 0.001 |
| Contact with smokers in the working environment | |||
| Daily | 82 (94.3%) | 140 (80.5%) | 0.013 |
| At least 3 days per week | 4 (4.6%) | 11 (6.3%) | |
| 1–2 days per weekly | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (3.4%) | |
| <1 day per week | 1 (1.1%) | 17 (9.8%) | |
| Smokers | 18 (20.7%) | 62 (35.4%) | 0.015 |
| Consider quitting * | 12 (66.7%) | 36 (58.1%) | 0.512 |
| Former smokers | 24 (34.8%) | 35 (31.0%) | 0.594 |
| Smoking cessation method for former smokers | |||
| No aid | 19 (79.2%) | 28 (80.0%) | 0.017 |
| Nicotine replacement therapy | 1 (4.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Oral medications | 3 (12.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Electronic cigarette | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (20.0%) | |
| Other | 1 (4.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Self-perceived level of knowledge about smoking | |||
| Very high | 46 (52.9%) | 53 (30.3%) | 0.003 |
| Fairly high | 30 (34.5%) | 86 (49.1%) | |
| Moderate | 11 (12.6%) | 32 (18.3%) | |
| Low | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (2.3%) | |
| Risk score for products | |||
| Tobacco cigarettes | 9.6 (0.7) | 9.2 (1.2) | <0.001 |
| Snus | 8.3 (1.6) | 8.3 (1.7) | 0.921 |
| Electronic cigarettes | 6.7 (2.4) | 5.6 (2.4) | <0.001 |
| Nicotine replacement therapy | 4.1 (2.5) | 4.5 (2.1) | 0.292 |
| Oral medications | 3.8 (2.4) | 4.3 (2.1) | 0.049 |
| Risk score for smoking components | |||
| Nicotine | 7.8 (2.3) | 8.1 (2.1) | 0.327 |
| Inhaled smoke | 9.2 (1.2) | 8.6 (1.5) | 0.002 |
| Carbon monoxide | 9.1 (1.4) | 9.1 (1.3) | 0.725 |
| Tar | 9.6 (0.9) | 9.5 (0.9) | 0.225 |
| Tobacco | 6.5 (2.5) | 6.8 (2.4) | 0.292 |
| Contribution of nicotine to smoking-related disease | |||
| Extremely important | 18 (20.7%) | 45 (25.7%) | 0.305 |
| Very important | 32 (36.8%) | 74 (42.3%) | |
| Important | 25 (28.7%) | 30 (17.1%) | |
| Less important | 8 (9.2%) | 18 (10.3%) | |
| Minimal | 4 (4.6%) | 8 (4.6%) | |
| Contribution of nicotine to lung cancer | |||
| Extremely important | 20 (23.0%) | 45 (25.7%) | 0.130 |
| Very important | 23 (26.4%) | 63 (36.0%) | |
| Important | 15 (17.2%) | 34 (19.4%) | |
| Less important | 17 (19.5%) | 20 (11.4%) | |
| Minimal | 12 (13.8%) | 13 (7.4%) | |
| Contribution of nicotine to cancer in other organs | |||
| Extremely important | 11 (12.6%) | 17 (9.7%) | 0.186 |
| Very important | 29 (33.3%) | 59 (33.7%) | |
| Important | 17 (19.5%) | 54 (30.9%) | |
| Less important | 19 (21.8%) | 34 (19.4%) | |
| Minimal | 11 (6.3%) | 11 (12.6%) | |
| Contribution of nicotine to atherosclerosis | |||
| Extremely important | 25 (28.7%) | 43 (24.6%) | 0.040 |
| Very important | 25 (28.7%) | 80 (45.7%) | |
| Important | 18 (20.7%) | 32 (18.3%) | |
| Less important | 15 (17.2%) | 13 (7.4%) | |
| Minimal | 4 (4.6%) | 7 (4.0%) | |
| Risk of nicotine replacement therapies compared to smoking | |||
| Higher | 2 (2.3%) | 1 (0.6%) | 0.135 |
| Equal | 9 (10.3%) | 33 (18.9%) | |
| Lower | 72 (82.8%) | 128 (73.1%) | |
| Do not know | 4 (4.6%) | 13 (7.4%) | |
| Dependence potential of nicotine replacement therapies compared to smoking | |||
| Higher | 2 (2.3%) | 1 (0.6%) | 0.137 |
| Equal | 27 (31.0%) | 57 (32.6%) | |
| Lower | 53 (60.9%) | 93 (53.1%) | |
| Do not know | 5 (5.7%) | 24 (13.7%) | |
| Success rate of nicotine replacement therapies in smoking cessation at 1 year | |||
| >50% | 5 (5.7%) | 7 (4.0%) | 0.660 |
| 30%–50% | 24 (27.6%) | 39 (22.3%) | |
| 10%–30% | 38 (43.7%) | 88 (50.3%) | |
| <10% | 20 (23.0%) | 41 (23.4%) | |
| Origin of nicotine in nicotine replacement therapies | |||
| Tobacco-extracted | 16 (18.4%) | 26 (14.9%) | 0.463 |
| Synthetically-produced | 71 (81.6%) | 149 (85.1%) | |
| Safe to use nicotine replacement therapies for >6 months as substitutes to smoking? | |||
| Yes | 26 (29.9%) | 39 (22.3%) | 0.180 |
| No | 61 (70.1%) | 136 (77.7%) | |
| Recommend the long-term (>6 months) use of nicotine replacement therapies for those who cannot reduce or quit smoking with short-term use? | |||
| Yes | 23 (26.4%) | 32 (18.3%) | 0.127 |
| No | 64 (73.6%) | 143 (81.7%) | |
| Have you ever recommended e-cigarettes to smokers? | |||
| Yes | 21 (24.1%) | 66 (37.7%) | 0.028 |
| No | 66 (75.9%) | 109 (62.3%) | |
| Risk of e-cigarettes compared to smoking | |||
| Higher | 4 (4.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.006 |
| Equal | 26 (29.9%) | 34 (19.4%) | |
| Lower | 50 (57.5%) | 124 (70.9%) | |
| Do not know | 7 (8.0%) | 17 (9.7%) | |
| Dependence potential of e-cigarettes compared to smoking | |||
| Higher | 3 (3.4%) | 3 (1.7%) | 0.160 |
| Equal | 44 (50.6%) | 68 (38.9%) | |
| Lower | 35 (40.2%) | 85 (48.6%) | |
| Do not know | 5 (5.7%) | 19 (10.9%) | |
| Origin of nicotine in e-cigarettes | |||
| Tobacco-extracted | 12 (13.8%) | 22 (12.6%) | 0.782 |
| Synthetically-produced | 75 (86.2%) | 153 (87.4%) | |
| Would you recommend e-cigarettes to smokers who refuse to take medications to quit? | |||
| Yes | 34 (39.1%) | 113 (64.6%) | <0.001 |
| No | 53 (60.9%) | 62 (35.4%) | |
| Would you recommend e-cigarettes to smokers who failed to quit with other methods? | |||
| Yes | 41 (47.1%) | 115 (65.7%) | 0.004 |
| No | 46 (52.9%) | 60 (34.3%) | |
| Which of the following are correct concerning e-cigarettes? | |||
| They contain tobacco | 5 (5.7%) | 14 (8.0%) | 0.508 |
| There is combustion | 32 (36.8%) | 61 (34.9%) | 0.759 |
| E-liquid ingredients are approved for inhalation | 53 (60.9%) | 119 (68.0%) | 0.256 |
| Working temperature is lower than in tobacco cigarettes | 34 (39.1%) | 63 (36.0%) | 0.627 |
| They have official quality certificates | 16 (18.4%) | 50 (28.6%) | 0.074 |
| There are e-cigarettes without nicotine | 55 (63.2%) | 97 (55.4%) | 0.229 |
| Do you consider e-cigarettes effective in substituting smoking? | |||
| Yes | 35 (40.2%) | 99 (56.6%) | 0.013 |
| No | 52 (59.8%) | 76 (43.4%) | |
| What do you think regulation on e-cigarettes should include? | |||
| Available only through prescription | 35 (40.2%) | 82 (46.9%) | 0.310 |
| Ban on nicotine | 30 (34.5%) | 85 (48.6%) | 0.030 |
| No flavors | 20 (23.0%) | 32 (18.3%) | 0.369 |
| Ban on the sales to youngsters | 72 (82.8%) | 121 (69.1%) | 0.018 |
| Ban on the use in public places | 38 (43.7%) | 36 (20.6%) | <0.001 |
| They should be licensed as medications | 43 (49.4%) | 70 (40.0%) | 0.147 |
| They should be sold only in pharmacies | 34 (39.1%) | 66 (37.7%) | 0.830 |
| Product variability should be reduced | 24 (27.6%) | 40 (22.9%) | 0.401 |
| Advertising should be banned | 45 (51.7%) | 59 (33.7%) | 0.005 |
| There should be a warning that they are equally harmful to smoking | 40 (46.0%) | 70 (40.0%) | 0.356 |
| Do you know the European Union regulatory framework on e-cigarettes? | |||
| Yes | 23 (26.4%) | 15 (8.6%) | <0.001 |
| No | 64 (73.6%) | 159 (91.4%) |
* Percentages represent proportion of smokers.