Selçuk Üniversitesi Meram Tıp Fakültesi Aile Hekimliği AD, Konya

This study was carried out to describe the prevalence of smoking and analyze the affecting factors on smoking among the high school teachers. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed among 213 high school teachers working at 6 high schools selected among 37 high schools in Konya randomly between 20 February 2006-30 May 2006. Of 213 high school teachers who participated in the study, 152 (71.4%) were men, 61 (28.6%) were women, the lowest age was 22, the highest age was 60 and the mean age was 41,45±8,20. The prevalence of current smokers was [ (every day smokers 38.0% (n=81) plus occasional smokers 4.7% (n=10)] 42.7% (n=91), former smokers 21.6% (n=46), never smokers 35.7% (n=76), quit ratio [quit ratio is defined as the number of former smokers divided by the number of ever smokers (current and former smokers)] was 33.6%, respectively. The lowest age at starting smoking was 10, the highest age was 40 and the median age was 18 years old. The median value of Fagerstrom dependence was 3 and 73.7% (n=67) was placed at a low and very low addiction degree. When the correlation between smoking behavior and socio-demographic characteristics was investigated, being 15-19 aged was statistically regarded as important to start smoking (X2=47.8, p<0.001). There was no significant correlation between quitting smoking behavior, gender, age and occupational branch statistically (p>0.05). There was a smoking room (96.4%) for teachers in the high schools who participated in the research. However, this restriction was obeyed by the rate of 57.4%, and it was sometimes (62.8%) possible that somebody could see the smoker teachers in the corridors of the school. Of the smokers, 65.3% smoked in their houses and 90.6% stated that smoking adversely affected their children.