Tobacco and alcohol use among healthcare workers in three public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, the smoking prevalence among adults has declined from 34% (52% male and 17% female) in 1995 4 to 21.4% (35.8% male and 8.1% female) in 2003. 5 The smoking prevalence among health care workers (HCWs) varies widely around the world. A study carried out in 1991 among hospital staff at Llandough Hospital, Cardiff, showed that 20% of nurses and 5% of doctors smoked. 6 A review by Smith and Leggat carried out in 2004 showed a high smoking prevalence among physicians in Greece (49%), China (45%), Japan (43%), Kuwait (38%) and the United Arab Emirates (36%), and the lowest smoking prevalence among doctors in the United States of America (2%), Australia (3%), the United Kingdom (3%) and Nigeria (3%). 7

Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behaviours Among Primary Healthcare Professional Nurses in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…It is however higher than the prevalence reported among nurses in Norway, 0.3% (Edvardsen et al, 2014). The prevalence in this study is comparable to the reported prevalence (22%) among healthcare professionals, including nurses in another province of South Africa (Okeke, Ross, Esterhuizen, & Van Wyk, 2012). Also, it is comparable to the reported prevalence among doctors in Nigeria, 30.3% (Obadeji, Oluwole, Dada, Adegoke, 2015).…”

Using section 27 to open up the accessibility of smoking cessation health services in South Africa

“…However, behavioural intervention remains an underexploited segment of tobacco control in SA. [15,16] Evidence shows scant and inconsistent availability of smoking cessation behavioural support in primary care facilities. [6,10] According to the WHO, behavioural intervention was not consistently offered in public hospitals or health clinics in SA as of December 2016, and the government does not cover the cost of such support.…”

“…[9] Evidence shows that combining expert behavioural support with pharmacotherapy is the most effective cessation strategy. [9,16] Compared with unaided smoking cessation attempts, NRT makes it one-and-a-half times more likely for a person to succeed, while varenicline and bupropion double the chance of success in quitting attempts. [16] On the other hand, combining pharmacotherapy with expert support makes someone up to four times as likely to stop smoking successfully.…”

“…[9,16] Compared with unaided smoking cessation attempts, NRT makes it one-and-a-half times more likely for a person to succeed, while varenicline and bupropion double the chance of success in quitting attempts. [16] On the other hand, combining pharmacotherapy with expert support makes someone up to four times as likely to stop smoking successfully. [16] A tailored approach, including accessible and appropriate intensive behavioural intervention and pharmacotherapy, is desirable to provide the best chances of tobacco cessation success, and this is still lacking in SA.…”

“…[16] On the other hand, combining pharmacotherapy with expert support makes someone up to four times as likely to stop smoking successfully. [16] A tailored approach, including accessible and appropriate intensive behavioural intervention and pharmacotherapy, is desirable to provide the best chances of tobacco cessation success, and this is still lacking in SA. Regrettably, access to treatment for tobacco dependence is still at infancy levels in SA; to a large extent, it is not accessible and available for the wider population.…”