The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Assess the smoking behavior among employees of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital and provide baseline investigation for building up a tobacco free hospital.

Methods: The survey was performed in 2005 and included basic status, tobacco control attitudes, and conditions of smokers. A total of 2200 questionnaires were handed out in the hospital, of which 2186 questionnaires were returned.

Results: The smoking rate among the employees is 11.3%. The male and female smoking rates are 37.0% and 1.2%, respectively. There are 242 smokers among the employees, of whom 92.1% are men and 7.9% are women. Of the smokers, 57.3% have tried quitting, and those who have the will to quit and who wish to stop smoking now occupy 67.8% and 64.1%. 93.0% of the employees believe that medical professionals should quit smoking actively, 93.8% of those believe that they have the responsibility to inform patients of smoking hazards, 96.5% of those believe that they should set a role model for patients, 96.8% of those believe that they should integrate tobacco control in their professional practice and discourage patients to smoke, 94.5% of those believe that they should have more tobacco control knowledge and cessation techniques, and 98.9% of those believe that prominent signs advocating cessation should be placed in the hospital and smoking must not be allowed in workplaces. Smoking rates among employees of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital are much lower than the national level, and all the people in the hospital support the establishment of tobacco free hospital.