Attitudes Toward Giving Smoking Cessation Advice among Nursing Staff at a Long-Term Residential Care Facility

The objective of this study was to provide a first assessment of (a) long-term care staffs' prevalence of and attitudes toward giving smoking cessation advice to residents and (b) predictors of advice giving. Results of a survey (N = 115) found that 54.8% of licensed nurses and 34.6% of nursing assistants reported ever advising. Advising was associated with job classification and believing that residents' problem lists should include smoking. Not advising was associated with believing advice is the physicians' responsibility. Staff somewhat endorsed risks of smoking and benefits of cessation for residents, smoking as a right and pleasure, and that some residents cannot make decisions about smoking. Staff moderately endorsed safety concerns; 36% wanted policy changes. Lack of institutional support and perceived residents' cessation disinterest were key barriers. The findings suggest that staff may be missing intervention opportunities and that institutional support of advising cessation may facilitate maintenance and improvement of nursing home residents' health.