SHORT REPORT |
Effectiveness of smoking cessation advice for asbestos workers
Chest Clinic, Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3NG, UK
Aim To assess effectiveness of smoking cessation advice to asbestos workers at statutory medical examinations.
Methods Workers are required to be examined every 2 years while continuing potential exposure to asbestos, including cessation advice if smokers. Records of 170 workers seen between 1986 and 2004 in Kent and Canterbury Hospital were reviewed. Respiratory symptoms, signs, lung function, radiological findings and smoking status were analysed.
Results At initial visit 109 (64%) were smokers. Thirty-four of these attended twice. Despite verbal advice, including emphasis on respiratory abnormalities detected in 62%, only three (9%) had ceased smoking by self-reporting at the second visit.
Conclusion Despite appropriate counselling regarding the potential risks of asbestos exposure and smoking, the cessation rate among asbestos workers was disappointingly low. Further measures to encourage asbestos workers to enter smoking cessation programmes should be considered.
Correspondence to: Andrew Johnson, Kent and Canterbury Hospital–Chest Clinic, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3NG, UK. Tel: +44 1227 766877; fax: +44 1227 864102; e-mail: andrew.johnson{at}ekht.nhs.uk