Abstract
Background
Health professionals have important roles in helping smokers quit. However, it is not known how the public, especially smokers, view smoking cessation advice from different health professionals.
Methods
We added questions regarding opinions and experiences with health professionals’ smoking cessation advice to the 2002 CAMH Monitor, an annual randomdigit- dialled survey of adult Ontarians. We report on how good a source of advice physicians, pharmacists, and dentists are perceived to be, how likely smokers are to consult each of these professionals, who smokers would ask for advice on the use of NRT, and advice received by smokers in the past year.
Results
About two thirds of respondents viewed physicians as a very good source of advice on quitting, compared to just over one third and about one quarter who thought this of pharmacists and dentists, respectively. Over half of current smokers would be very likely to ask a physician for quit advice, compared to about 20% and only 3% for a pharmacist or a dentist, respectively. Among smokers, over 40% would first ask a physician for advice on NRT; about 20% would first ask a pharmacist. About 42% and 8% of current smokers reported that they received advice in the past year from a physician and pharmacist, respectively.
Interpretation
Smokers are receptive to quit advice from physicians, but less likely to ask other health professionals. Few smokers received advice from pharmacists and dentists. Increasing the reach of quit advice requires both increased professional intervention and education of the public.
MeSH terms: Health personnel, smoking cessation, patient education
Résumé
Contexte
Les professionnels de la santé jouent un rôle important lorsqu’il s’agit d’aider les fumeurs à cesser de fumer. On ignore cependant comment le public, et surtout les fumeurs, perçoit les conseils de renoncement au tabac lorsqu’ils sont donnés par différents professionnels de la santé.
Méthode
Dans l’édition 2002 de CAMH Monitor, une enquête téléphonique annuelle à composition aléatoire menée par le Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale de l’Université de Toronto auprès d’adultes ontariens, nous avons ajouté des questions sur l’opinion et l’expérience des personnes interrogées quant aux conseils de renoncement au tabac des professionnels de la santé. Nous présentons ici les résultats de l’enquête sur les points suivants: 1) l’importance accordée par les répondants aux conseils donnés par les médecins, les pharmaciens et les dentistes, 2) la probabilité que les fumeurs consultent ces trois catégories de professionnels, 3) les personnes à qui les fumeurs intéressés par la thérapie de remplacement de la nicotine (TRN) demanderaient conseil et 4) les conseils reçus par les fumeurs au cours de l’année antérieure.
Résultats
Environ les deux tiers des répondants considéraient les médecins comme une très bonne source de conseils sur l’abandon du tabac, tandis qu’un peu plus du tiers accordaient le même crédit aux pharmaciens, et environ le quart aux dentistes. Plus de la moitié des fumeurs actuels seraient très portés à demander conseil à un médecin pour cesser de fumer, contre environ 20 % à un pharmacien et à peine 3 % à un dentiste. Chez les fumeurs, plus de 40 % demanderaient d’abord conseil à un médecin au sujet de la TRN; environ 20 % commenceraient par un pharmacien. Environ 42 % des fumeurs actuels ont dit avoir reçu les conseils d’un médecin à ce sujet au cours de l’année antérieure, et 8 % ont dit avoir reçu les conseils d’un pharmacien.
Interprétation
Les personnes qui veulent cesser de fumer sont ouvertes aux conseils des médecins, mais elles ont moins tendance à s’adresser à d’autres professionnels de la santé. Peu de fumeurs avaient eu des conseils de la part de pharmaciens ou de dentistes. Pour élargir la portée des conseils de renoncement au tabac, il faut conjuguer l’accroissement des interventions professionnelles et des mesures d’éducation du public.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: This project was funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (grant number 012161). Preparation of the proposal was funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, Canadian Tobacco Research Initiative (planning grant 010631). Data collection was carried out by the Institute for Social Research, York University, Toronto, Canada. We thank David Northrup, Ed Adlaf, Claudine Laurier, Roberta Ferrence, Joanna Cohen, and Rachel Dioso for advice, support, and contributions to the study.
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