Tobacco product use with a focus on e-cigarette among nurses and midwives: Attitudes and behaviors

This study aimed to estimate tobacco product use prevalence with a focus on e-cigarette use among the nurses and midwives working in the Istanbul Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital, to describe their opinions and attitudes toward tobacco use in general, and e-cigarette use in particular. This study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The nurses and midwives working in Istanbul Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital were surveyed. Instead of selecting a sample group, all of the nurses and midwives were included in the study. The data were collected by a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The data were analysed using SPSS 25.0 statistical package program. The chi-square test was used for testing relationships between categorical variables. (p<0,05) level was considered to be significant for all comparisons. A total of 316 nurses and midwives participated in this research and their response rate was calculated as 74% (316/427). Of the participants 71,2% were women. The mean age (and its standard deviation) was 33,1±8,7. Of the respondents 48,7% (75,8% in males, 37,8% in females) were ever smokers, 39,6% (65,9% in males and 28,9 % in females) current smokers, 9,2% (9,9% in males, 8,9% in females) former smokers. The proportion of those who reported to have tried e-cigarettes was 13,3% (24,2% in men, 8,9% in women). The rate of current e-cigarette use was 1,9% (5,5% in men, 0,4% in women). Of the respondents 11,7% stated that e-cigarettes help quit smoking, and 11,4% stated that they would recommend e-cigarettes to people who want to quit smoking. Although e-cigarette has never been a legal product in Turkey, a considerable group of smoker nurses and midwives appeared to have started to use it.