Knowledge, attitude and practices on tobacco cessation among dentists in Nairobi

Abstract

Background: Tobacco consumption is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the world (WHO, 2007). Tobacco use remains a public health concern worldwide putting a strain on health resources at national and international levels. This is particularly evident in emerging economies like Kenya where importance should be given to the overwhelming load of communicable diseases. According to the Kenyan Demographic and Health Survey (2008-09), Kenya’s smoking prevalence at the time of the study was estimated at 17% in men and less than 1% in women. This provides the rationale for involvement of oral health professionals in tobacco control and cessation activities to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the country. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices of dentists in Nairobi towards tobacco use cessation. Study design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Study area: The study was carried out in Nairobi County. Study population: The study population for this was all the practicing dentists in Nairobi County. Sampling method: A combination of both stratified method and systematic Sampling methods were used to select the participants. Data collection Instruments: Both Self-administered Questionnaire and key informant interviews were used. Results: The findings indicated that 36.1% had good knowledge on smoking cessation interventions. Majority (63.9%) of respondents of had fair attitude whereas 33% had good attitude. Close to a third (32%) of the respondents exercised high practice on delivering smoking cessation intervention while majority (57%) exercised medium practice Conclusion: The study concluded that lack of knowledge on smoking cessation interventions was a barrier to some extent to majority of the dentists. This was attributed to lack of training thus low confidence in their ability. Although respondents in Nairobi knew they had a role to play in smoking cessation and reported positive attitudes about their roles and responsibilities...............................................................................