Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of smoking in operating room (OR) personnel and compare this with that of the general public. Given the first-hand exposure of these individuals to patients with smoking-related illnesses, we believe they should have a decreased tendency to smoke.
Method: A survey instrument was given to OR personnel at the University of Puerto Rico in order to learn the prevalence of smoking among other tobacco use related data. Prevalence for the general population and other healthcare-related populations was investigated using various search engines and compared with our results.
Results: A total of 113 individuals completed the survey; 6.19% were found to be current smokers, and 7.96% were found to be past smokers. Data from the Centers for Disease Control show that the prevalence of cigarette smoking among US adults is 20.9%, which is significantly higher than what we found in our population (P = .01). In Puerto Rico, the prevalence of smoking is 10.6%, which is also significantly higher than our study population (P = .05). Among current smokers, (n = 7), 85.7% have tried to quit at least once (P = .02), and all claimed to have knowledge of the possible complications associated with smoking.
Conclusion: Smoking tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the United States despite many efforts to educate the general public on the dangers associated with its use. A more visual or hands-on encounter with the effects of smoking may help decrease tobacco burden in the general population.
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