title: Knowledge, attitudes, and smoking behaviours among physicians specializing in public health: a multicentre study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare professionals have an important role to play both as advisers-influencing smoking cessation-and as role models. However, many of them continue to smoke. The aims of this study were to examine smoking prevalence, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among four cohorts physicians specializing in public health, according to the Global Health Profession Students Survey (GHPSS) approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicentre cross-sectional study was carried out in 24 Italian schools of public health. The survey was conducted between January and April 2012 and it was carried out a census of students in the selected schools for each years of course (from first to fourth year of attendance), therefore among four cohorts of physicians specializing in Public Health (for a total of n. 459 medical doctors). The GHPSS questionnaires were self-administered via a special website which is created ad hoc for the survey. Logistic regression model was used to identify possible associations with tobacco smoking status. Hosmer-Lemeshow test was performed. The level of significance was P ≤ 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 388 answered the questionnaire on the website (85%), of which 81 (20.9%) declared to be smokers, 309 (79.6%) considered health professionals as behavioural models for patients, and 375 (96.6%) affirmed that health professionals have a role in giving advice or information about smoking cessation. Although 388 (89.7%) heard about smoking related issues during undergraduate courses, only 17% received specific smoking cessation training during specialization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study highlights the importance of focusing attention on smoking cessation training, given the high prevalence of smokers among physicians specializing in public health, their key role both as advisers and behavioural models, and the limited tobacco training offered in public health schools.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saulle
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Brigid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Unim
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Italo Francesco
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Angelillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Public Health, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baldo
authors.affiliation: Department of Science of Public Health, University of Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41100 Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Public Health, University of Bologna, Via S. Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cacciari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Public Health, Virology, University of Milano, Via Pascal 38, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore, 48, 20052 Monza, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Del Corno
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine Science, Section of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Ancona, Via Tronto 10/a, 60020 Ancona, University of Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Stanislao
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Via Orazio Raimondo 18, 00173 Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panà
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 64b, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gregorio
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (R. De Blasi), University of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Orazio Claudio
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Varese, Insubria, Via Ravasi 2, 21100 Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Perugia, Via Roma 84, 06019 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiopathology, Experimental Medicine and Public Health, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nante
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (Gaetano Salvatore), University of Catanzaro, Via T. Campanella 115, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavia
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine-Section of Hygiene, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pelissero
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quarto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hygiene, University "Cattolica del Sacro Cuore" of Rome, Via Ippolito Nievo 36, 00153 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Via dell'Artigliere 8, 31129 Verona, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Aging Science, University "G. Annunzio" Chieti, Via dei Vestini 33, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco Saverio
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Schioppa
authors.affiliation: Department "G. F. Ingrassia" Hygiene and Public Health, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fallico
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siliquini
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Department of Science Preventive Medicine, University of Napoli Federico II, Via Tommaso Campanella 115, 88100 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Triassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion Science (G. D'Alessandro), University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 133, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boccia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires