Objectives: To evaluate the degree of implementation of tobacco prevention and control interventions and to determine the prevalence of smoking in the Catalan Network of Smoke-Free Hospitals according to the stage of adhesion to the project.
Method: We performed an observational, descriptive, cross sectional study in 16 hospitals actively involved in the Catalan Network of Smoke-Free Hospitals (April 2005). Data were collected using the results of the self-audit, 9-item questionnaire of the European Network for Smoke Free Hospitals. To study tobacco consumption, we interviewed 3,896 employees. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco consumption, job category, tobacco control indicators, the project's stage of implementation, and adherence to the project were gathered.
Results: The prevalence of smoking was 35%. The implementation stage among all the hospitals studied was 53.3%. The items with high implementation scores (above 70%) were commitment, communication, consumption control, environmental control, and follow-up. Higher scores in implemented activities were observed in hospitals that had passed from the registration phase (x- = 26.6; standard deviation [SD] = 16.7) to subsequent phases (x- = 59.7; SD = 14.1), with a statistically significant difference in the overall score (p = 0.05).
Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking in the Catalan Network of Smoke-Free Hospitals remains high. However, the prevalence was lower among professionals serving as role models (physicians and nurses) than among the general population. The project's implementation increased according to the time since enrollment in the network, especially in the first year.