The Effect of Warning Images and Texts on Cigarette Packages on Smoking Behavior Among Healthcare Professionals

Objectives: The opinion of health staff working at hospitals connected to Gaziantep Province Public Hospitals Union on the effects of warning purposed pictures and texts on cigarette packages on smoking behavior was searched. Methods: 458 health staff participated in the research. Percentage, frequency and chi-square test were used in the data analysis. Results: 42.8% of the participants were midwife nurses, 22.5% were specialist physicians, 19.9% were laboratry-anesthesia-X-ray techician and 14.8% were general practitioners. The smoking rate of the particiapants was found to be ’41.4%. The rate of the ones who want to give up smoking was determined as 52.6%. The health staff were highly affected by the united warnings on the cigarette packages (61.5%). Most of the participants think that this application may be effective in fighting smoking (43.9%). The most important factor in giving up smoking was the health problems caused due to smoking (56.5%). Prohibition of smoking in enolosed spaces was seen as the most effective method in fighting smoking. The united warnings on the cigarette packages were seen as the least effective method both among giving up smoking reasons and in fighting smoking, differences were determined among the groups according to demographic features and smoking habits (p˃0.05). The most effective warnings were like this in order; ‘‘smoking during pregnancy gives harn to the bayb’’ (72.1%), ‘‘protect your childeren, don’t let them breathe your smoke’’ (66.8%), ‘‘smoking causes fatal lung cancer’’ (59.6%) and the least effective warnings were like this in order; ‘‘ask for help from your doctor and the closest cottage hospital to give up smoking’’ (31.7%), ‘‘health institutions help you to give up smoking’’ (38.2%) and ‘‘smokers die young’’ (41.3%). Conclusion: As a result of this study, it was put forth that the health staff whose smoking rate is high should primarily be taken to education programs on giving up smoking and then their support should be taken to fight smoking. On smoking behavior, the content of the warnings placed on cigarette packakes shown effective for pictures and texts should be further enhanced.