Table 4.
Multivariate analysis of factors associated with U.S. health professionals self-report of asking, advising, assessing, assisting, and arranging follow-up about tobacco use
| Ever asks patient about smoking | Advises patient to quit | Assess patient | Assist patientb | Arrange follow-up | |
| Health professional’s smoking status | |||||
| Never (ref) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Current | 0.58 (0.27–1.23) | 0.44 (0.26–0.72) | 0.57 (0.35–0.92) | 0.50 (0.32–0.80) | 1.37 (0.62–3.06) |
| Former | 0.76 (0.46–1.23) | 0.95 (0.69–1.28) | 0.83 (0.64–1.08) | 1.04 (0.79–1.35) | 1.33 (0.90–1.98) |
| Health profession | |||||
| Primary care (ref) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Emergency medicine | 3.95 (0.65–23.86) | 0.55 (0.30–1.00) | 0.20 (0.13–0.30) | 0.27 (0.17–0.43) | 0.10 (0.04–0.27) |
| Psychiatry | 0.42 (0.14–1.27) | 0.23 (0.13–0.41) | 0.53 (0.35–0.79) | 0.31 (0.20–0.48) | 0.93 (0.61–1.41) |
| Registered nurse | 0.10 (0.03–0.35) | 0.17 (0.09–0.33) | 0.24 (0.15–0.40) | 0.44 (0.26–0.74) | 0.43 (0.22–0.83) |
| Dentist | 0.16 (0.06–0.46) | 0.18 (0.10–0.34) | 0.23 (0.16–0.35) | 0.22 (0.14–0.34) | 0.23 (0.12–0.44) |
| Dental hygienist | 0.14 (0.04–0.49) | 0.18 (0.10–0.31) | 0.31 (0.19–0.50) | 0.28 (0.16–0.46) | 0.21 (0.11–0.41) |
| Effectiveness attitudes | |||||
| Face-to-face advice | N/Aa | 1.41 (1.08–1.84) | N/Aa | N/Aa | N/Aa |
| Quitline | N/Aa | N/Aa | N/Aa | 1.38 (1.09–1.74) | N/Aa |
| Cessation program | N/Aa | N/Aa | N/Aa | 1.58 (1.21–2.08) | N/Aa |
| Aware Public Health Service guideline | 1.12 (0.61–2.03) | 1.25 (0.89–1.74) | 1.57 (1.20–2.06) | 2.04 (1.54–2.71) | 1.40 (0.98–2.00) |
| Had cessation training | 1.41 (0.77–2.58) | 2.10 (1.40–2.96) | 2.32 (1.77–3.05) | 2.32 (1.77–3.06) | 1.40 (0.98–1.98) |
| Patients resist advice | 1.16 (0.71–1.91) | 0.62 (0.47–0.81) | 0.80 (0.63–1.00) | 0.84 (0.66–1.06) | 0.69 (0.46–1.04) |
| Uncomfortable to ask | 0.38 (0.21–0.70) | 0.55 (0.37–0.83) | 0.74 (0.49–1.10) | 0.81 (0.55–1.20) | 1.49 (0.75–2.98) |
| Important professional responsibility | 4.07 (2.31–7.19) | 2.61 (1.71–3.98) | 2.01 (1.30–3.09) | 1.47 (0.96–2.24) | 6.22 (1.96–19.7) |
| Not appropriate service | 0.46 (0.29–0.75) | 0.59 (0.44–0.78) | 0.55 (0.43–0.71) | 0.50 (0.39–0.64) | 0.59 (0.37–0.95) |
| Competing priorities | 1.07 (0.66–1.74) | 0.75 (0.57–0.99) | 0.63 (0.50–0.79) | 0.58 (0.45–0.73) | 0.54 (0.37–0.78) |
| Smoker seek primary care physician’s help | 1.01 (0.63–1.62) | 0.80 (0.61–1.05) | 0.75 (0.60–0.94) | 0.97 (0.77–1.23) | 0.96 (0.68–1.34) |
| Little/no reimbursement | 0.97 (0.61–1.56) | 1.26 (0.97–1.64) | 1.23 (0.98–1.54) | 1.28 (1.02–1.61) | 0.97 (0.69–1.37) |
Note. Reference is within subgroup for beliefs. Each multivariate model includes the following variables: age, sex, ethnicity (black, Latino, and other were combined due to small sample size), practice setting, region, proportion of vulnerable population in the practice, and method of data collection by telephone or mail. Pharmacists are not included in these multivariate models since they participated in an abbreviated survey.
N/A = variable not included in model a priori.
Assist consists of setting a quit date, distributing materials with quitline information, or referring to a cessation program.