[Smoking and passive exposure to tobacco smoke among members of medical rescue teams].

In Poland approximately 33% adults are active smokers. Both active smoking and passive exposition to tobacco smoke leads to serious diseases and causes many other problems. This is why the decrease of smoking prevalence seems to be one of the most important targets of contemporary medicine. In this task the attitude of medical staff plays a great role (prevention, education, behaviour of a medical employee as a positive example). The research was carried out among 48 employees of Regional Station of Ambulance Service in Poznan (16 physicians, 19 medical rescuers and 13 nurses). The group comprised 21 women and 27 men. The investigative tool was a questionnaire concerning smoking, passive exposition to tobacco smoke and attitude of the examined persons towards smoking. We found that smoking prevalence in the investigated group considerably exceeds the average values for Polish population (particularly the number of smoking women) whereas passive exposition to tobacco smoke affects everyone in this group. In the opinion of the examined people the main factors inducing and maintaining tobacco smoking are: addiction, pleasure connected with smoking or influence of someone's company. In a case of medical personnel tobacco smoking (similarly to other behaviours which are harmful for someone's health) weakens the authority of a health care provider as an example of health promotion.