Māori perspectives:  A deeper understanding of nursing and smoking

• Published in: Nursing praxis in New Zealand inc. Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 35 - 44
• Main Authors: Gifford, Heather, Wilson, Denise, Boulton, Amohia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palmerston North Nursing Praxis in New Zealand 01.11.2014; Nursing Praxis New Zealand
• Subjects: Health aspects; Maoris; Nursing; Practice; Smoking cessation programs; New Zealand
• ISSN: 0112-7438; 2423-012X
• DOI: 10.36951/NgPxNZ.2014.010

Maori nurses can play an important role in supporting other Maori and whänau who smoke with their smoking cessation. At present, little is understood about Mäori nurses who smoke and how this impacts on their role in delivering smoking cessation advice. We undertook in-depth qualitative interviews with 43 participants to explore Mäori nurses' perceptions and experiences of smoking and quitting, and how smoking impacts their role as a nurse. Participants included 22 student nurses, 16 registered nurses, and 5 community health workers (CHWs). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. This procedure elicited five key themes: social context of smoking for Mäori nurses; managing conflicted identities; the impact of smoking on practice; nursing students' experience of smoking; and quitting experiences. Mäori nurses, including student nurses, reported conflicted identities as smokers and nurses, and used a number of strategies to manage the high level of dissonance they experienced. Mäori student nurses appear to be the most likely to be amenable to quit interventions. We recommend targeted approaches that are culturally relevant for prompting Mäori nurses to quit smoking. 22 references