Lacking willpower? A latent class analysis of healthcare providers’ perceptions of smokers’ responsibility for smoking

Objective: Healthcare providers’ (HCPs) perceptions of smokers’ responsibility for smoking may affect implementation of smoking cessation care (SCC), but are understudied. This study examined Dutch HCPs’ perceptions of smokers’ responsibility for smoking, and how many and which subgroups exist with regard to these perceptions. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study among physicians and other HCPs (N = 570). Latent class analysis was used to analyse data. Results: Results showed two latent classes of HCPs: a majority (77 %) that appeared to hold smokers themselves more accountable for their smoking, and a minority (23 %) that seemed more inclined to believe that people smoked as a consequence of factors such as addiction, and smoking initiation when people were young and could not foresee consequences. The two-class model showed excellent certainty in classification. Class membership was associated with age, working experience, and smoking status. The majority class experienced more barriers to SCC than the minority class and provided SCC tasks to fewer patients. Conclusions: HCPs’ perceptions of smokers’ responsibility for smoking relate to HCP background characteristics, barriers to SCC and implementation of SCC. Practice Implications: New approaches to improving SCC might be needed that take HCP's perceptions of smokers’ responsibility into account.