Effects of a No-Smoking Policy Upon Medical Center Employees

Abstract

Although the relationship between smoking and its harmful effects on health has been long known to the medical profession, relatively few medical institutions have taken serious measures to control smoking within their premises. This study focused on the effects of a smoking ban at a large private medical center, specifically its impact on smoking attitudes and behavior of the employees. A questionnaire was administered to more than 800 (over 50%) of the medical center employees before and after the implementation of a total ban on smoking on the worksite. The results revealed, after 1 year of the no-smoking policy, an increased acceptance of the smoking ban at work and a greater willingness to consider smoking cessation in the future. An important trend was noted in the decreased number of cigarettes smoked per day among the employees.

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Straub Trust and the Pacific Health Research Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii. Acknowledgment is given to the encouragement of Fred I. Gilbert, MD, and to the valuable assistance of Gloria Low and Louisa Turner.