title: Are primary health care providers prepared to implement an anti-smoking program in Syria?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document primary health care (PHC) providers' tobacco use, and how this influences their smoking cessation practices and attitudes towards tobacco-control policies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to PHC providers in 7 randomly selected PHC centers in Aleppo, Syria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All PHC providers completed the questionnaires (100% response rate). A quarter of these providers smoke cigarettes and more than 10% smoke waterpipes. Physicians who smoke were less likely to advise patients to quit (OR=0.29; 95% CI, 0.09-0.95), assess their motivation to quit (OR=0.13, 95% CI=0.02-0.72), or assist them in quitting (OR=0.24, 95% CI=0.06-0.99). PHC providers who smoke were less likely to support a ban on smoking in PHC settings (68.2% vs. 89.1%) and in enclosed public places (68.2% vs. 86.1%) or increases in the price of tobacco products (43.2% vs. 77.4%) (P<0.01 for all comparisons).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking, including waterpipe, continues to be widespread among PHC providers in Syria and will negatively influence implementation of anti-smoking program in PHC settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking awareness and cessation interventions targeted to PHC providers, and training programs to build providers' competency in addressing their patients' smoking is crucial in Syria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. taghrid.asfar@stjude.org
authors.forename: Taghrid
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asfar
authors.forename: Radwan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al-Ali
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Vander Weg
authors.forename: Wasim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maziak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013593:Syria / Q000453:epidemiology