Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Smoking in Friends and Relatives of Patients in Emergency Room: A New Frontier in the Fight against Tobacco

Background: Emergency rooms (ERs) are usually crowded with friends and relatives (F&Rs) of the patients. This experience may result in changes in smoking behaviors and create opportunities for smoking cessation interventions. The study aims to investigate these changes and offers a new frontier in the fight against smoking.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the ERs of two universities in different cities. A questionnaire consisting of ۱۸ questions was applied to F&Rs of the emergency patients. Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi program.Findings: A total of ۶۰۳ respondents were included in the study. Of them, ۷۱.۳% were first-degree relatives, ۵۱.۷% waited ۵ or more times in ER before, and ۶۸.۶% spent ۰-۲ hours in a day around the ER. Upon witnessing patients in the ERs, ۵۳.۴% of the F&Rs had the idea of quitting smoking and ۴۲.۹% wanted to have smoking cessation therapy during their wait in the hospital. While ۷۶.۱% of the participants were not using different brands of cigarettes when offered in normal life, this rate was lower around the ERs (۶۴.۶%) (P < ۰.۰۰۱). Participants smoked ۰.۸۲ ± ۰.۳۴ cigarette per hour in normal life excluding sleeping time; this number raised almost ۶ folds during the wait (۴.۸۵ ± ۲.۱۱) (P < ۰.۰۰۱).Conclusion: F&Rs smoked more during waiting around ERs. However, they also expressed desire to quit smoking and receive smoking cessation intervention during the wait. Providing smoking cessation counseling to F&Rs in the ER may be a valuable intervention.

Keywords:

Tobacco use cessation , Emergency Medical Services , Friends