RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARDIOLOGISTS’ SMOKING STATUS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SMOKING CESSATION MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between cardiologists’ smoking habits and their attitudes toward smoking cessation management. Methodology: This cross-sectional study collected data from cardiologists actively working at 56 different centres in 2021. A questionnaire was sent to cardiologists via e-mail. Participation was voluntary. Results: A total of 218 cardiologists, 183 (83.9%) nonsmokers and 35 (16.1%) smokers, were included in the study. The median age of the participants was 46 years (range: 31−69 years), and 75.7% (n = 165) were male. There were no statistically significant differences between the smokers and nonsmokers in terms of demographic characteristics. More nonsmoking than smoking cardiologists advised their patients to quit smoking (71% vs. 37.1%; p < 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of pharmacological therapy (34.9% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.464), psychological support (23% vs. 17.1%; p = 0.447), or electronic cigarette recommendations (3.3% vs. 8.6%; p = 0.149), and most participants made no relevant recommendations (66.1%, 78%, and 95.9%, respectively). Conclusion: Cardiologists’ smoking habits directly affect their attitudes toward smoking cessation management. The significant benefits of quitting smoking for cardiovascular disease prevention require that cardiologists make stronger recommendations for smoking cessation therapies and counseling to their patients.