Quantitative research among doctors in Nairobi, Kenya, about their smoking behaviour and their opinions on smoking control education

Abstract

Doctors in Kenya are important role models for quitting smoking. In order to improve smoking control in Kenya, it is therefore important to find out what doctors believe about smoking control policies and what their smoking habits are. The main objectives of this study were to determine the extent to which doctors in Nairobi are encouraging their patients to quit, their opinions about these practices and the prevalence of smoking among the doctors. In order to do this, we designed a questionnaire on the basis of a model which posits that behavior is influenced by intention, attitude, social influences, self-efficacy, barriers and skills. The model is based on the theory that behavior is a function of a person’s intention, which in turn is determined by attitude and social norms (De Vries et al., 1995).