Fighting the Smoking Epidemic in Syria: First Online Course to Equip Health Professionals with Smoking Cessation Competencies.

Abstract

Background: The prolonged conflict in Syria has increased psychosocial stress and contributed to high smoking rates. Despite healthcare providers' critical role in smoking cessation, medical curricula lack adequate coverage of related competencies, and high physician smoking rates remain major barriers. This study evaluated the effectiveness and feasibility of the Smoking Cessation Strategy Course (SCSC), an online course aimed at enhancing Syrian healthcare professionals' knowledge, perceived skills, and attitudes toward smoking cessation.

Methods: This single-arm intervention involved a peer-led, asynchronous online course comprising 10 brief lessons (each 10 minutes long) and facilitated WhatsApp discussions. Participants (n=120) included medical, dental, and pharmacy students and graduates. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessed smoking cessation knowledge, perceived skills, and attitudes. Paired t-tests evaluated changes (P<0.05).

Finding: Ninety-four participants completed the post-test (78.3% retention). Knowledge improved significantly (pre-test 11.5±1.5 vs. post-test 17.4±1.55; P<0.001, d=0.86) and perceived skills (pre-test 3.53±0.60 vs. post-test 4.14±0.66; P<0.001, d=0.82). Attitudes showed slight, non-significant (pre-test 3.00±0.37 vs. post-test 3.24±0.40; P=0.19). Dropout analysis indicated no demographic differences, though non-completers held more negative baseline attitudes.

Conclusion: The SCSC significantly improved knowledge and perceived confidence in delivering smoking cessation interventions, demonstrating feasibility in a low-resource, conflict-affected context. While attitude changes were limited, this online model offers a scalable, low-cost approach to strengthening tobacco treatment capacity in Syria and similar LMIC settings.