Tobacco use and readiness to treat tobacco users among primary healthcare professionals in Soweto.

Background:  Despite its hampering influence on the willingness of healthcare professionals (HCPs) to implement tobacco cessation treatments, the tobacco use status of these professionals remains understudied in South Africa.

Methods:  This cross-sectional study, which sampled 444 HCPs, was conducted in five community health centres in Soweto. A self-administered questionnaire collected information on socio-demography, tobacco use, quit attempts and readiness to implement tobacco cessation treatments for their patients.

Results:  The mean age was 41 years. Most were female, 80% (n = 355); single, 54.1% (n = 240) and black professionals, 91.6% (n = 405). About 22% (n = 96) were ever-users of tobacco, 12.6% (n = 56) current users and 9% (n = 40) ex-users. About 56.6% (n = 30) of current users had contemplated quitting in the past year. Approximately 68% (n = 300) and 82.2% (n = 365) of respondents were ready and willing to implement tobacco cessation treatments, respectively. Only 32% (n = 143) of respondents had received any training on tobacco use and cessation treatments. There was no significant association between tobacco use and readiness to implement cessation treatments (p = 0.50).

Conclusion:  Tobacco use is prevalent among HCPs and does not influence the implementation of cessation treatments in South African primary health care. Although most reported readiness and willingness to quit tobacco use, more training is required in both formal education and continued professional development.Contribution: This study demonstrates the alarming rate of tobacco product use among primary health care professionals in South Africa. While there is a strong willingness to implement tobacco cessation treatments for their patients, most healthcare professionals still require training to enhance their self-efficacy.