Physician smoking status may influence cessation counseling practices.

Objective: Smoking cessation counseling practices may differ between physicians who smoke and those who have quit or never smoked.

Method: Of 917 general practitioners (GP) in Montreal mailed self-report questionnaires in 2000 and 2004, 610 provided data on their smoking status and counseling practices.

Results: Seven percent were current smokers, 32% were former smokers, and 61% were never-smokers. Current smokers were more interested than never- or former smokers in learning about counseling methods (64%, 56%, 45%, respectively; p = 0.018). In multivariable analyses, current smokers were less likely than never-smokers to ascertain the smoking status of their patients (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.2-1.6); to provide advice on how to quit (OR 0.6, 0.3-1.3); and to provide complete cessation counseling coverage (OR 0.5, 0.2-1.1). Former smokers were more likely to provide adjunct support (OR 1.5, 1.0-2.4).

Conclusion: GP smoking status was associated with the content of their cessation interventions with patients who smoke. Taking physician smoking status into consideration in the design of cessation training programs may improve cessation counseling interventions.