Need for smoking cessation support for better health of employees

Abstract

Tobacco is a silent killer, with more than 400 poisonous chemical substances. The use of tobacco is driven by dependence on nicotine, the primary addictive substance in tobacco. Smoking in the workplace has adverse effects on both the employee health and productivity. Hence, it is important toraise awareness on the need to quit smoking. The objectives of the study were to determine the intention to quit smoking and cessation attempts among employees of an educational institution, to assess the association between level of dependence and the Trans-Theoretical Model of Change and to identifythe smoking cessation facilities available in Mauritius. This study had a mixed approach. In the quantitative part, smokers were recruited using a convenience sampling. The inclusion criteria were employees who were current smokers. A validated questionnaire adapted from the Global Adult Tobacco Surveyquestionnaire was used. The qualitative part evaluated the facilities available at the Smoking Cessation Clinics set up in Mauritius. The findings showed that 81 % of the participants intended toquit smoking and most of them planned to quit within the next month. Three major obstacles to relapse were identified. Awareness of smoking cessation techniques was low but willingness to use nicotine replacement therapy and other support therapy was high. This study highlighted the need to implement free smoking cessation programs on work premises to cater for the needs of employees so that they stopinhaling poisonous chemical substances which jeopardize the health and future of employees.