Public Health Residents’ perceptions towards e-cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction: a EuroNet MRPH working group
In spite of all the efforts made, tobacco smoking is still representing an important risk factor for several diseases and a major cause of mortality. Moreover, in recent years, the use of electronic cigarettes (and other tobacco-related products) has spread worldwide, being also marked as alternative to smoking and as smoking cessation method.
Nevertheless, the debate on the e-cigarettes’ health impact is still ongoing in the scientific community, while, across European countries, current policies and regulatory strategies about e-cigarettes’ use remain uncoordinated.
Similarly, little attention has been paid to investigate the knowledge of healthcare workers towards the use of e-cigarettes or of tobacco harm reduction strategy, particularly in public health sectors, with the evidences available so far showing a suboptimal level of awareness.
This research intends to evaluate, through a European cross-sectional survey, the current level of knowledge about e-cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction strategy amongst Residents in Public Health, assessing the current educational level about the issues of interest and addressing the need to make fundamental changes in studying and training programmes, based on the best evidences available so far.
WG Status
In April 2018, the WG distributed the online survey among the Residents in Public Health in the countries associated with EuroNet MRPH.
In June 2019 the results of this research group were published, and you can read the full article here.
Participants
WG members are from: Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Coordinator: Pietro Ferrara (Italy)
Scientific Support
Prof. Josep Maria Ramon Torrell (Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain)