[Prevalence of smoking among nurses in the Ninth region of Chile].
BACKGROUND
Smoking is noxious for health and is considered a public health priority. The prevalence of smoking is increasing, specially in women. Among nurses, its prevalence is 42.7%.


OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of smoking among Chilean nurses.


METHODS
A cross sectional analysis of the prevalence of smoking among 290 female nurses living in 9th Region of Chile. A nicotine addiction scale was applied to smokers.


RESULTS
The prevalence of smoking was 37.9% and the percentage of former smokers was 18.3%. Twenty percent of the sample was an occasional smoker. The starting age for the habit was between 17 and 20 years (49.4%). Twenty seven percent of nurses without children and 42% of those with children smoked. Having a couple or not, did not influence the smoking habit. Ninety percent of smokers had a very low addiction to nicotine.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of smoking obtained in a sample of nurses is similar to that obtained by former studies in other population samples in Chile.
Osorio
Ximena
X
Departamento de Pediatría y Cirugía Infantil, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de La Frontera, Casilla 54-D, Temuco, Chile. xosorio@ufro.cl
Rivas
Edith
E
Jara
Jeanette
J
D000328:Adult; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology