Congress Abstracts 2006

38

ONCOLOGY NURSES' SELF-REPORTED SMOKING BEHAVIORS AND PERCEIVED ROLE IN SMOKING PREVENTION EDUCATION WITH PATIENTS: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY. Judi Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, Healthquest, Minneapolis, MN; Emiko Endo, RN, PhD, Miyazaki Prefectural Nursing University, Miyazaki, Japan; Shizue Suzuki, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, Kochi Womens University, Kochi, Japan; Yeu-Hur Lai, RN, PhD, National Taiwan University, Taipie, Taiwan; Young-Hee Yang, RN, PhD, Department of Nursing, Dankook University, Seoul, Korea; Alexander Molassiotis, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; and Lesley Degner, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable cancer death. Worldwide one in three adults smoke. 30 million are projected to start annually. Tobacco-related illness, and the treatment of cancer and its side effects, is associated with increasing health costs and lowered quality of life. Research indicates that smoking cessation interventions by nurses are successful. Oncology nurses see the effects of tobacco use and have access to cancer patients who are more likely to be receptive to prevention messages. Therefore, it is essential to know if oncology nurses worldwide are smoke-free themselves and use their beliefs about smoking to inform and educate patients about smoking cessation.

The purpose of this smoking study was to describe and compare smoking habits, smoking beliefs, and perceived role with patients in smoking cessation education of oncology nurses in Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. It addresses ONS's research priority in health promotion.

The Health Belief Model guided this study examining nurses' beliefs, perceived barriers and personal smoking practices, as well as potential cultural differences, to determine the effect these have on the smoking assessment and education provided to patients by these nurses.

A convenience sample of oncology nurses was recruited from those attending nursing conferences/meetings of oncology nursing organizations. Total of 759 nurses (96 to 236 from each of the six countries) completed an anonymous, 27-question, Likert-type, investigator-designed survey, translated into their native language. Analysis was performed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics.

Findings indicate only 4.5% of those surveyed currently smoke. Overall, 74.2% of nurses assessed their patients' smoking habits frequently/always, but far fewer (49.6%) discuss smoking cessation with patients who smoke. Japanese nurses were most likely to assess smoking behavior of patients (85%), however, less likely to discuss smoking cessation (27%). Over 60% of Korean, U.S., and Canadian nurses were likely to discuss smoking cessation with their patients who smoke. Although 95% of nurses stated they believed second-hand smoke poses a danger, only 30% reported discussing this with patients. Additional comparisons of beliefs and barriers to smoking cessation and education and implication for practice will be presented.

Funding Sources: ONS special project grant received in 2005 by Metro-MN. Chapter of ONS.