The role of stress, peer influence and education levels on the smoking behaviour of nurses

Smoking kills yet a substantial number of qualified nurses continue to smoke. Stress, peer influence and education levels have been cited as influencing prevalence levels among nurses. A self-completed questionnaire was used to survey qualified nurses’ perceptions of smoking prevalence, attitudes, and reasons for smoking. The respondents were composed of a random sample (n=1074) of qualified nurses employed in Northern Ireland. Results show that 25.8% of the sample smoked. Factors influencing smoking behaviour and reasons for continuing smoking are explored. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for nursing and nurses’ health promotion activities.