142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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304795
Opportunity for Hospitals in Louisiana to Increase Tobacco Cessation

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Tekeda Ferguson, MPH, MSPH, PhD , School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA
Iben Ricket, MPH , Epidemiology, LSUHSC School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA
Allison Egger, MPH , Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Nkenge Jones-Jack, MPH , Epidemiology, LSUHSC School of Public Health, New orleans, LA
Brandi Bourgeois, MPH , Louisiana Tobacco Control Program, Baton Rouge, LA

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the extent of hospitals’ tobacco free policies in the state of Louisiana in 2012, and to further understand the scope of these policies, including cessation programs as well as barriers and limitations. A survey was sent electronically to Louisiana Hospital Association members in 2012.  The survey consisted of 30 questions which covered three areas: hospital demographics, smoking/tobacco policies, and smoking/tobacco cessation programs. Thirty-seven hospitals completed the questionnaire. There was a low participant rate; however, all nine public health regions of the state were represented. The presence of a formal written tobacco policy was indicated from 89% of the hospitals; 45.5% had 100% tobacco free campuses. Of the hospitals with no tobacco policy, 25% reported a plan to establish a 100% tobacco free policy within the next 12 months. Only 40.7% of hospitals surveyed offer tobacco cessation programs. Hospital responding with no intention to offer smoking/tobacco cessation programs reported the following barriers: financial costs (36.4%), resistance from employees who smoke (27.3%) and not being a priority for hospital administration (27.3%). It’s important to continually emphasize the public health implications of tobacco use to support policy and cessation programs. A focus on having all hospitals incorporating a formal written tobacco free policy would be a first step in decreasing tobacco use on hospital campuses and in the long term positively impacting on the economic burden of tobacco use in Louisiana.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify and assess the extent of hospitals’ tobacco free policies in the state of Louisiana in 2012, and to further understand the scope of these policies, including cessation programs as well as barriers and limitations.

Keyword(s): Tobacco Control, Hospitals

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the principal investigator for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Epidemiology Unit for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Primary Care and Rural Health when this survey was completed. I am an Assistant Professor in the Epidemiology program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in New Orleans, LA. I have a MSPH and PhD in Epidemiology with a MSPH in Health Communication and Health Education.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4370.1: All Systems Go: Creating a Standard of Care for Cessation