Creating Tobacco-Free Environments in Clinicians' Offices: Do Patients Notice?

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether patients think their orthodontist's office is an appropriate place for antitobacco materials, whether they attend to the antitobacco materials present in the office, and which types of antitobacco materials are most popular. The study was conducted as part of a clinician-initiated tobacco prevention trial involving 154 orthodontists in Southern California. Data were collected from antitobacco order forms and from 602 adolescent patients chosen at random from the last 55 offices to receive the follow-up interview. Approximately 91% of the adolescents thought that an orthodontist's office was an appropriate place for antitobacco materials and more than 50% remembered seeing many of these materials in their orthodontist's office. The antitobacco materials combat the protobacco messages portrayed in office magazine advertisements, and the presence of these materials can act as a catalyst for discussions about tobacco with the orthodontist. Use of antitobacco materials in orthodontic offices may contribute to tobacco control and prevention.