15th October 2002

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One in four of Northern Ireland nurses is a smoker - but they are all trying to give up, according to research from the University of Ulster.

The research found that while 98% of smoker nurses began smoking before they became nurses, 68% of them reported that their cigarette consumption had increased since joining the profession.

Key findings from the research, which studied 2000 nurses across all Northern Ireland's healthcare sectors include:

• 25.8% of nurses were smokers, 19% were ex-smokers and 55.2% were non-smokers;

• Most nurses that continue to smoke had commenced smoking prior to entry to nursing and almost half of those nurses who successfully stop smoking had not commenced smoking until becoming a qualified nurse;

• A high percentage of nurses who smoke wish to stop and have attempted to do so.

It is clear that potential health problems play an important part in the dissuading nurses to smoke and most nurses who smoke see 'Addiction' and 'Enjoyment' as the main reason for continuing with the habit.

One of the report authors, Professor Hugh McKenna, Head of the School of Nursing at the University of Ulster, said:

"Results show that many nurse smokers continue to persist with a habit that they know to be potentially fatal."

"Nurses constitute the largest section of healthcare professionals, and have the most direct contact with patients. We found that those nurses who smoked did not perceive their health promotion role as strongly as those nurses who did not smoke. This is an interesting finding and it is a healthcare imperative that action is taken to reduce nurses’ level of smoking."

"Successful anti-smoking initiatives that address the physiological and psychosocial issues of smoking need to be offered as an option to nurses and student nurses by their respective employers and educators. The earlier this happens in a smoker's lifetime the higher the chances of its success."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk