%0 Journal Article
%T Nursing education and beliefs towards tobacco cessation and control: a cross- sectional national survey (GHPSS) among nursing students in Greece
%A Evridiki Patelarou
%A Constantine I Vardavas
%A Penelope Ntzilepi
%A Charles W Warren
%A Anastasia Barbouni
%A Jenny Kremastinou
%A Gregory N Connolly
%A Panagiotis Behrakis
%J Tobacco Induced Diseases
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1617-9625-9-4
%X During February 2009, we conducted a cross sectional national survey among all 3rd year nursing students of the two university based nursing departments in Greece (University of Athens, University of the Peloponnese). The Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire was applied and following written informed consent 73% provided a completed questionnaire (n = 192/263 enrolled students).Overall, 33% were current active smokers, while 74% reported ever to experiment smoking. In regards to their beliefs towards tobacco control policies, non smokers were more positive in regards to banning smoking in restaurants (94% vs. 61%, p < 0.001), in bars and cafes (82% vs. 34%, p < 0.001), and all public places (93% vs. 51%, p < 0.001) when compared to current smokers. In comparison with students who had not received training on the importance of asking patients about their smoking habits, those that did were more likely to believe that nurses should have a role in smoking cessation and should act as role models for their patients.Resources should be invested in improving the quality of undergraduate education in nursing departments in Greece with respect to tobacco control and smoking cessation.Tobacco use is included as one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide and as it is estimated that almost 1.3 billion people are currently smokers, tobacco use is expected to be the cause of death of about 10 million people per year by 2030 [1].Despite the above grim projections, health professionals, such as nurses, can play a critical role in tobacco control by providing effective interventions against tobacco use by counseling their patients to quit smoking [2-5]. For the above to be facilitated, it is essential for health care facilities, educational institutes as also medical and nursing associations to acknowledge this role and assume a greater responsibility in promoting smoke-free facilities and practices among their staff and patients [6]. A ma
%U http://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.com/content/9/1/4