Smoking habits and attitudes among doctors in a Malaysian hospital

A study of the smoking habits and attitudes toward smoking among 120 doctors at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia was conducted between May to August 1991. Eighteen percent of the doctors were smokers, 13% ex-smokers and 69% had never smoked. All the smokers were male and all except one smoked only cigarettes. Three of the 32 female doctors were ex-smokers. Nineteen of the 21 smokers only smoked in areas where they could not be seen by the public. Most doctors (equally among smokers and non-smokers) had first-degree relatives (mostly males) who were smokers and 28% had relative with smoking-related disease. 81% non-smoking and 43% smoking doctors had advised healthy people to stop smoking. 92% non-smoking and 52% smoking doctors support the smoking-ban in the hospital. Seven of the 21 smokers had never attempted to quit smoking.