[Smoking habits in health care workers: experience in two general hospitals of Eastern Sicily].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to assess the smoking habits in health care workers.


METHODS
In concomitance with a medical examination for Health Care Surveillance requested by the Italian Laws (D. Lgs. 626/94), our operative units interviewed 2,000 persons (47.9% males, 52.1% females, mean age = 45 yrs (SD+/-9.41 yrs) working in two General Hospitals of Eastern Sicily.


RESULTS
The prevalence of smokers was found to be higher in men (34.5%) than in women (33.6%), in Health Care Operators (36.4%) and professional nurses (36.2%) than in medical doctors (27.7%), in night-time workers (34,5%) then in day-time-workers (28,7%). The compliance with smoking restriction was found to be poor; in fact, 60% out of smokers declared to smoke during the working hours.


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation has revealed the significant prevalence of tobacco smoking among the health care workers in general. We think that the inclusion of an anonymous questionnaire on smoking habits within the Services of Sanitary Surveillance may help in the national campaign against cigarette smoking.
Proietti
L
L
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Patologie Sistemiche, Sezione di Medicina del Lavoro. proietti@unict.it
Bonanno
G
G
Di Maria
A
A
Palermo
F
F
Polosa
R
R
Lupo
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires