Screening for smokers in four Sydney teaching hospitals.
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death and a reason for hospital admissions. The hospital stay is a window of opportunity to assist smokers to quit.


METHODS
Patients from selected wards in four teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia were screened using a self-completed general health questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on demographic variables, tobacco and alcohol consumption, attitudes towards tobacco and alcohol use, and a measure of readiness to charge high-risk lifestyle behaviors, based on that proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente [1].


RESULTS
The total number of screening questionnaires completed was 2,815: 78% men and 22% women. The average age of the sample was 44 years, 48% were married or living in a de facto relationship whilst 35% never married, with the rest widowed, separated or divorced. A total of 877 (31%) patients reported smoking: 33% of men and 24% of women screened. Predictors of smoking were sex, age, marital status, education level and socio-economic status. A significant association was found between excessive drinking and smoking. Among the smoking patients, 157 (18%) planned no change in smoking (precontemplation), 379 (43%) were ambivalent about smoking (contemplation), and 334 (38%) were serious about quitting.


CONCLUSIONS
As about one third of patients in hospital are smokers, the hospital is an ideal setting for the delivery of brief interventions by a range of health personnel at the patients bedside. The use of a detection instrument measuring levels of intake and readiness to change tobacco use is described, as a practical method for targeting patients in hospital who are at risk or have already developed cigarette-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.
Richmond
R L
RL
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Bell
A P
AP
Rollnick
S
S
Heather
B B
BB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires