Incidence of smoking and nicotine depedence among medical workers

Aim To determine the frequency of smoking and nicotine dependence level of active smokers among medical workers. Methods The research encompassed a sample of 66 medical workers of the Croatian Hospital "Dr. Fra Mato Nikolic" in Nova Bila using surveys and Fagerstrom's modified test for nicotine dependence. Results There were of 66 examinees,37 (56.1%) of them being smokers, 19 (51.4%) female and 18 (48.6%) male. The average value of nicotine dependence score was 8 points, which represented a high level of nicotine dependence. Conclusion Smoking as a preventable health risk factor is a big problem even for medical workers themselves. Medical workers, active smokers, have a high level of nicotine dependence requiring a professional treatment.