The prevalence of smoking among soldiers of the gendarmerie in a provincial center and affecting factors: A cross-sectional study from Turkey.

Determining the smoking rates and nicotine dependency levels of soldiers can be a guide in smoking cessation interventions and developing a policy for smoking prevention for soldiers serving in military units. The cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 313 soldiers stationed in gendarmerie units in a city center in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey. Data were collected between 01.06.2021 and 31.07.2021 by face-to-face interview technique using Personal Information Form and Fagerström Nicotine Addiction Test. It was determined that 54.6% of the participants smoked, 87.1% had low-moderate nicotine addictions, and 94.9% were smokers in their friends' circle. It was revealed that the prevalence of smoking among the participants was high, and the nicotine addiction levels of the participants working in the "Prison" unit were higher.

The effects of planned education given to parents on smoking in the home environment and passive exposure of children aged 0-5: A quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study from Turkey.

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to determine the effects of planned education given to parents on smoking status at home and on children's passive smoking exposure. DESIGN AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with the inclusion of 40 parents with at least one child between the ages of 0 and 5 and smoking in their homes, who were registered at a Family Health Center in a city center in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, from 1 September 2019 to 30 June 2020. The data of the study were collected using Participant Screening Form, a Personal Information Form, the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, a Smoking Behaviors and Precautions at Home Form, and a Measurement and Follow-up Form. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 package software. RESULTS: In the follow-ups after the planned smoking cessation training given to the parents, the carbon monoxide measurements at their homes decreased significantly throughout the four follow-ups, the number of parents who presented to the smoking cessation outpatient clinic increased, and the number of smoking parents decreased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the planned education that was given to smoker parents reduced the smoking rates of the parents, lowered the carbon monoxide values measured in their home environments, and thus, it was effective in reducing the passive exposure of their children at the ages of 0 to 5 years to cigarette smoke. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Parents who are addicted to cigarettes should be encouraged not to smoke at home, and homes should be included in closed environments where smoking is prohibited.

Factors Affecting Smoking Behaviors and Smoking Prevalence in Pregnancy and Postpartum Period of Women.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting smoking behaviors and smoking prevalence among women during pregnancy and postpartum period. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2012 and October 2012 on a sample of 640 women who had children aged between one and three years and who enrolled in any one of the 23 family health centers located in the province of Sivas in Turkey. The data were collected through the questionnaires created by the researchers by interviewing the participants face to face in own homes. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics 15.0 (SPSS Inc.; Chicago, IL, USA) package program and evaluated using number, percentage distribution, chi square test, logistic regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: Smoking prevalence was found to be 8% during pregnancy and 15.6% in the postpartum period. It was determined that 17.2% of the women smoked before their last pregnancy (n=110), more than half of the smokers quit smoking during pregnancy (n=59), and 46.4% of them continued to smoke during pregnancy. It was determined that 79.7% of the participants who quit smoking during pregnancy relapsed within the first one to three years of the postpartum period, and only 20.3% continued not to smoke. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that women who breastfed quit smoking for a significantly longer time (27.6 months) compared with those who did not breastfeed (12 months). According to the logistic regression analysis, the risk of postpartum relapse among women aged 30 years or more was 10.99-fold higher than women between the ages of 19 and 29. CONCLUSION: The rate of pre-pregnancy smokers decreased in the pregnancy and increased in the postpartum period.

The opinions regarding smoking behaviors in the postpartum period of the women who quit smoking during pregnancy: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Research is designed to know the opinions of women who quit smoking during pregnancy on changing smoking behaviors during the postpartum period. DESIGN AND METHODS: Forty-seven women who quit smoking during pregnancy were included in the sample of study. Data were collected using in-depth face-to-face interview method with semistructured interview forms. FINDINGS: Most of the reasons of women about their restarting were either individual such as the need to cope with stressful events in the family, or baby-related such as termination of breastfeeding. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Determining causes of relapse will guide nurses to develop effective intervention to reduce smoking rates in women.