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Are primary health care providers prepared to implement an anti-smoking program in Syria?
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Are primary health care providers prepared to implement an anti-smoking program in Syria?

Taghrid Asfar, Radwan Al-Ali, Kenneth D Ward, Mark W. Vander Weg and Wasim Maziak
Patient education and counseling, Vol.85(2), pp.201-205
11/2011
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2010.11.011
PMCID: PMC3074023
PMID: 21168300
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3074023View
Open Access

Abstract

To document primary health care (PHC) providers’ tobacco use, and how this influences their smoking cessation practices and attitudes towards tobacco-control policies. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to PHC providers in 7 randomly selected PHC centers in Aleppo, Syria. 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). Smoking, including waterpipe, continues to be widespread among PHC providers in Syria and will negatively influence implementation of anti-smoking program in PHC settings. 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.
 Health care providers Smoking prevalence Primary health care Smoking-cessation practices Waterpipe Antismoking policies

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