Austin Health

Title
Knowledge of smoking as a risk factor for disease among urology clinic patients in Australia.
Publication Date
2018-08
Author(s)
Khan, Munad
Papa, Nathan P
Manning, Todd G
Nzenza, Tatenda
Simionato, Lauren
Lawrentschuk, Nathan
Subject
Smoking
Smoking cessation
Type of document
Journal Article
OrcId
0000-0002-4140-1500
0000-0002-3188-1803
0000-0001-5609-3769
0000-0001-8553-5618
DOI
10.1007/s00345-018-2276-9
Abstract
Smoking remains a common habit among the general population. Despite the well-established risks of smoking, relatively few studies have been undertaken to assess the understanding of these risks among the general population. We intended to assess the understanding of smoking as a risk factor for various conditions in a urology outpatient cohort to assess the level of knowledge as well as particular strengths and weaknesses they possess. A four-page questionnaire was distributed among urology outpatients over a 5 month period. The questionnaire captured information regarding the knowledge of smoking as a risk factor for various urological and non-urological conditions. Results were collated and stratified according to patient's cancer history as well as smoking status. A total of 112 participants were included in our analytical sample. Our study demonstrated a deficiency in knowledge regarding smoking and urological conditions. When ranked by level of knowledge, four of the bottom five conditions were urological in nature. Furthermore, we found that patients with a personal cancer history demonstrated generally poorer knowledge of smoking as a risk factor compared to patients without a cancer history. Conversely, smokers themselves demonstrated a greater understanding of risks compared to non-smokers. Our study suggests there is much work to be done in the education of patients on the risks of smoking from a urological point of view. We believe more initiative needs to be taken by the specialists treating such patients to achieve an improved level of knowledge.
Link
Citation
World Journal of Urology 2018; 36(8): 1219-1224
Jornal Title
World Journal of Urology

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