Establishing smoke-free hospitals in Vietnam: A pilot project

Abstract

In Vietnam, a pilot ‘smoke-free hospital’ model was implemented in nine hospitals in 2009–2010 to supply lessons learned that would facilitate a replication of this model elsewhere. This study aimed to assess smoking patterns among health professionals and to detect levels of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure within hospital premises before and after the ‘smoke-free hospital’ model implementation. A pre- and post-intervention cross-sectional study was conducted in nine purposively selected hospitals. Air nicotine levels were measured using passive nicotine monitors; smoking evidence was collected through on-site observations; and smoking patterns were assessed through interviews with health workers. Despite the ‘smoke-free hospital’ intervention, smoking continued among health-care workers who were former smokers. Specifically, self-reported smoking prevalence significantly decreased post-intervention, but the number of daily cigarettes smoked at workplaces among male health workers remained unchanged. Post-intervention, smoking was more likely to take place outside buildings and cafeterias. However, air nicotine levels in the doctors' lounges and in emergency departments did not change post-intervention. Air nicotine levels at other sites decreased minimally. Tailored tobacco cessation programmes, targeting current smokers and mechanisms to enforce non-smoking, should be established to meet requirements of Vietnam's comprehensive National Tobacco Control Law effective in May 2013.

Keywords:

• second-hand smoke exposure
• smoke-free hospital
• tobacco control
• air nicotine level
• Vietnam

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance from Drs Erika Tang and Jiemin Ma and Ms Lisa Hepp and the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at JHSPH in the development of the SHS data collection monitoring protocol and data analysis aspects of the project. The authors would also like to thank other agencies and organisations including FHI and the Vietnam Women's Union and Dr Hiep Hoang for their work on the implementation component.

Funding

This project was funded through a grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH) Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) for the Reduce Smoking in Vietnam Project (RSVP). Funding was provided to the Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University to conduct this project under the RSVP.

Additional information

Funding

Funding: This project was funded through a grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH) Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) for the Reduce Smoking in Vietnam Project (RSVP). Funding was provided to the Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University to conduct this project under the RSVP.