Are Smoking Habits Changing Among Spanish Health Professionals? Results from the SUN Cohort 1999–2008

Introduction: Smoking by health professionals is a very negative habit not only for their own health, but also because it diminishes their capacity to influence their smoker patients to quit their habits. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the trend of the smoking prevalence, as well as the impact of the 2005 Spanish Smoking Act, among healthcare professionals. Methods: Participants were asked about their smoking consumption in the baseline and the follow-up questionnaires in a Spanish dynamic prospective cohort of university graduates (the SUN Project) from 1999 to 2008. Non-conditional logistic regression models were fit to assess the relationship between type of profession and prevalence of smoking. Results: The proportion of current smokers at the entrance into the cohort was 16.4% for physicians, 20.8% for pharmacists, 23.4% for nurses and 24% for other university graduates. The risk of being current smoker (adjusted OR [95% CI]) was lower in physicians (0.68 [0.61–0.76]) but not in pharmacists (0.94 [0.84–1.06]) or nurses (0.94 [0.84–1.05]) compared to other university graduates. All professional groups presented a statistically significant decline of smoking prevalence from 1999 to 2008. This decline might be at least partly due to the impact of the Spanish legislation on their smoking habits. Conclusion: This study shows a decline in smoking prevalence among Spanish physicians. This decline has reached lower levels than what is current among other professionals and the general population. However, there is still a high number of smokers among health professionals, thus more efforts are needed to achieve lower levels of tobacco consumption.