Changes in Addressing Patients’ Smoking: Cross-Sectional Data from 2002 and 2014 among Physicians in Estonia

BACKGROUND: For health professionals, personal and contextual factors influence addressing patients’ smoking habits. The objective of the study was to describe frequency of addressing patients’ smoking in 2002 and 2014 and to analyse factors related to addressing patients’ smoking habits. METHODS: Data of physicians from 2 postal cross-sectional surveys were used (n = 4140 in 2002, n = 5666 in 2014). The number of respondents was 2747 in 2002 and 2903 in 2014. The corrected response rate was 67.8% and 53.1%, respectively. Age-standardized frequency of addressing patients’ smoking during the last 7 days was determined. Distribution of other variables along with confidence intervals (CI) was calculated. Logistic regression was used to analyse association of addressing patients’ smoking with attitudes and perceived barriers regarding addressing patients’ smoking and with background factors. Fully adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% CIs were calculated. RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of addressing patients’ smoking habits among men was 84.4% (95% CI 80.3–88.5) in 2002 and 88.3% (95% CI (84.5–92.2) in 2014, among women 82.1% (95% CI 80.2–83.9) and 89.0% (95% CI 87.2–90.8), respectively. According to logistic regression analysis, in 2014, significantly more physicians agreed that it is doctors’ responsibility to convince people to stop smoking (among men, OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.19–4.54, among women OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.06–1.88), that smoking prevention should form part of health professionals’ training, that physicians should have smoking related hand-out materials, and that lack of time was a barrier to addressing patients’ smoking. Addressing patients’ smoking was significantly associated with attitudes and perceived barriers regarding addressing patients’ smoking, age, and other background factors (among women only). CONCLUSIONS: Addressing patients’ smoking habits was more common in 2014 than in 2002, but the change was significant among women only. Compared to 2002, in 2014 physicians’ attitudes regarding addressing patients’ smoking were more approving. Results of this study are useful for policymakers and institutions involved in organization and development of smoking prevention training and cessation services.