Epidemiology of smoking habits among healthcare workers employed in a regional reference teaching hospital in Northern Italy: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Tobacco consumption is one of the most significant avoidable health risks and cause of premature death globally. Smoking in the workplace represents a potential combination of health risks due to the interactions of tobacco use and professional exposure. Occupational Health Professionals can aid in health promotion of workers and improvement of workplace environment. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of smoking and its determinants among healthcare workers and equated subjects at the Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IRCCS of Genoa, Italy.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was performed using demographic and clinical data. It involved a total workforce of 1561 Health Care Workers (HCW), medical residents and healthcare students. We focused on the medical visits performed from July 1 to December 31, 2023. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software vers. 26.0 (IBM Corp.).

Results: In the studied population, 24.7% of participants reported being current smokers. The univariate analysis showed an association between smoking and several demographic and occupational variables such as different professional categories and occupational risks. At the multivariate analysis physicians (OR 0.39, 95 CI 0.24-0.61, p < 0.001) and professions with exposure to chemical hazards (OR 0.26, 95 CI 0.09-0.80, p = 0.018) showed reduced odds of smoking, while increases in alcohol consumption were associated with increased probability of smoking (OR 1.79, 95 CI 1.19-2.71, p = 0.006).

Conclusions: These results highlight a concerning prevalence of smokers among HCW. An up-to-date epidemiological picture on health habits and behaviors may provide a baseline on which targeted interventions can be implemented, considering not only modifiable lifestyle factors but also work-related risk factors to effectively tackle the magnitude of the phenomenon.