19 Oct 2013

One third of Maori nursing students smoke - study

10:20 am on 19 October 2013

A new study shows a third of Maori nursing students smoke cigarettes and most of those who try to quit do it cold turkey, or without help.

The New Zealand Medical Journal article, released on Friday, surveyed 410 Maori nurses and nursing students, and found a fifth of them currently smoke.

Seventy-five percent of those who smoked had less than 10 cigarettes a day, and just over half of them said they were thinking of quitting.

It found that most nurses who quit, or tried to, did so without cessation interventions such as Quit Line and nicotine gum or patches.

The study states nurses who smoke believe they are inadequate role models, and that it lessened their ability to effectively work with patients who also smoke.

It says that could indicate the need for tailored kaupapa Maori smoking cessation intervention.