Imperative training need of health professionals for improved smoking cessation services

Mauritius is one of the twelve sub-Saharan countries participating in the African Tobacco Situation Analysis initiative, supported by the International Development and Research Centre and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The need to survey health professionals on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices with respect to tobacco use and smoking cessation was identified as Mauritius was implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies including smoking cessation services. In fact, Mauritius ratified in May 2004 the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is the first international public health treaty on tobacco control [1]. In conformity with the FCTC, Mauritius passed new regulations on tobacco known as the Public Health (Restrictions on Tobacco Products) Regulations 2008 in November 2008 and these regulations have been effective as from 1 March 2009 [2]. Moreover, “The Role of Health Professionals in Tobacco Control” was the theme of the World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day in 2005 [3]. Health professionals are not only responsible for primary health care and education for tobacco related problems, but are also role models in the community [3]. The preamble of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) emphasizes the role of health professional bodies in efforts to include tobacco control in the public health agenda and contribute actively to the reduction of tobacco consumption [1]. This survey was therefore designed with three objectives: 1) To determine tobacco use prevalence among health professionals working in the public health sector of Mauritius, 2) To explore their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices with respect to tobacco use and smoking cessation and 3) To assess their skills and training needs in smoking cessation techniques. This survey will thus inform policy-makers on the need of health professionals to be empowered to help smokers to quit smoking successfully.