Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the most common pulmonary disease, mostly caused by smoking. Reduction of this habit in the society, should be one of the most important tasks for physicians. They should set a good example. The aim of the study was to assess smoking habits among Polish pulmonary physicians.
Material and methods: During a congress of the Polish Respiratory Society in 2006 participants were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaires including questions regarding age, sex, and smoking status.
Results: Questionnaires were filled in by 406 physicians (43% of congress participants): 272 women (67%) and 134 men (33%). There were 10.1% current smokers (9% in women, 13% in men), 19.5% were ex-smokers (18% were women, 23% were men), and 70.2% never smokers (73% were women, 64% were men).
Conclusions: Prevalence of smoking among Polish pulmonologist is decreasing. However, it is still higher than in countries with low smoking prevalence in the general population.