摘要：Background . Epidemiological and experimental models have been applied to describe the disproportionately high prevalence of tobacco use in patients with mental illness. This observed association has become a dire public health concern. The main objective of the present study was to examine the provision of tobacco treatment strategies in a community teaching hospital serving a predominantly underserved African American population. Methods . The study was designed as a retrospective review of eight hundred and thirty patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric units. Results . 52.2% of the entire cohort described themselves as current smokers. Gender, primary psychiatric diagnosis, and urine toxicology showed significant differences in the tobacco smoking and nontobacco smoking groups (P Conclusions . Tobacco screening, cessation counseling, and treatment continue to be a challenge in community psychiatric hospitals and need increased focus in the comprehensive management of patients with psychiatric disorders. The strong association between tobacco smoking and other substance use lends itself to the hypothesis that tobacco smoking debut prevention may be an effective public health strategy for addressing illicit drug use.
