A Smoking Reduction and Cessation Program With Registered Nurses: Findings and Implications for Community Health Nursing

Abstract

A smoking reduction and cessation program was implemented with registered nurses in 3 Canadian provinces. Nurses (n = 117) participated in either an 8-week group or self-directed program using a resource specifically designed for nurses. Questionnaires were administered prior to and at the end of the 8-week interventions and at 6 and 12 months postintervention. Statistically significant changes at 8 weeks in nurses' smoking practices were found on the number of nurses continuing to smoke, mean number of cigarettes smoked, and movement in the stage of behavioral change. Attrition and variation in patterns of quitting over the 12-month study period made assessing participants' longer term out-comes difficult. This study¹ highlights the complexity of assisting nurses to quit smoking and of implementing and evaluating a program based on accepted community health models of practice.