Tobacco use among teachers in a district of the Tunisian Sahel

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the scale of tobacco use among teachers in the district of Kalaa Kebira (a semi-urban region in the Tunisian Sahel). Methods The study design was descriptive and cross sectional, employing a self administered questionnaire given to 402 teachers. Results The response rate was 89%. The average age of respondents was 35.7 +/- 7.9 years. The global prevalence of smoking among teachers was 29.3% (men: 51.6%; women: 3.6%). 79% of smokers were addicted to nicotine according to the Fagerstrom test. Half of the teachers were poorly informed about the hazards of smoking and 77.9% of smoking teachers didn't refrain from smoking in front of their pupils. Conclusions The teachers' lack of knowledge limits their effectiveness both as a role model and information relay in the war against tobacco.