Managing tobacco dependence in chemical dependency treatment facilities: a survey of current attitudes and policies.

This paper presents survey results of Minnesota licensed chemical dependency treatment facility directors. The baseline survey was conducted by telephone in May and June of 1988; and the self-administered follow-up survey was conducted in February and March of 1990, subsequent to a statewide tobacco dependence educational campaign which targeted Minnesota's chemical dependency professionals. Both the baseline (n = 227) and the follow-up (n = 257) surveys contained items concerning the directors' beliefs about the health effects of tobacco use, their attitudes regarding tobacco use in chemical dependency treatment, current tobacco policy in the facility, and barriers to banning tobacco use in the facility. The study used a matched-pair analysis (n = 104) of the survey data to assess changes in attitudes and practices during the two years of the study. The majority (71%) of chemical dependency directors at follow-up agree that tobacco dependence should be treated like other drug dependencies. The percentage of matched facilities that treat tobacco dependence increased from 10% at baseline to 18% at follow-up. The percentage of facilities that prohibit smoking increased from 11% at baseline to 27% at follow-up. Implications of the findings and areas for further research are discussed.