The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

4013.0: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - Board 8

Abstract #64061

Tobacco dependence curricula in U.S. baccalaureate and graduate nursing education

Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, 1585 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-4503, wewers.1@osu.edu and Linda Sarna, RN, DScN, School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Box 956918, Factor 4-262, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6918.

Background: The overwhelming majority of nurses express a desire to help patients stop smoking but most nurses report a lack of training in tobacco dependence treatment. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess tobacco content and extent of tobacco education and intervention skills among a national sample of baccalaureate and graduate U.S. nursing programs Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. A questionnaire that measured tobacco content curriculum was sent to 909 baccalaureate and graduate nursing program associate deans who were member institutions of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Discussion: The majority of tobacco content curricula focused on the health effects of tobacco. Nursing students, especially undergraduates, lacked curricular content in the area of clinical tobacco cessation techniques. Conclusions: Increased instructional efforts concerning the clinical treatment of tobacco dependence are critical for achieving a nationwide reduction in tobacco use prevalence.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Education, Health Care Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Issues in Tobacco Poster Session

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA