Özen AŞUT, Songül Acar VAIZOĞLU, Şanda ÇALI, Ahmed Elamin Ahmed ELAMIN, Mohamed EBIED, Enver ABDULLAIEV, Karam CHADDAD, Muhnd Muhammad ALGAWI, Shania SHEKA, Abdullatif Adnan İBRAHİM, Tuqa Mohammad ALDOWERY, Gülşah BAHADIR, Mehmet Utku DURUM, Alper ÇELİKER
Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences - 2026;11(5):401-408
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Smoking is a global health issue causing millions of deaths each year. The World Health Organisation created the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control and launched the MPOWER initiative in 2008 to reduce this death burden. Studies conducted in developed countries show that strict tobacco control laws help reduce tobacco use. In the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), studies show a high prevalence of tobacco use, but there are no reports on the implementation of laws and adherence to them. This research aims to evaluate compliance with the tobacco control law in three hospitals in Northern Cyprus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study was conducted in August 2025. Observers used a data collection form to assess compliance. SPSS version 31.0 (IBM Inc.,Armonk, NY , USA) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 113 departments were observed across three hospitals. Indoor no smoking compliance was high, whereas overall compliance with "no smoking" signs was low (37.4%). The highest compliance was found in the state hospital, particularly in signage placement, while private hospitals showed gaps, such as insufficient outdoor signage and the presence of smoking facilities. No enforcement officers or cessation resources were observed. Staff smoking was observed in all hospitals. A significant difference in compliance between the state hospital and the private hospitals was observed, with the state hospital having better compliance (p-value <0.001). CONCLUSION: Compliance with the Northern Cyprus tobacco control law varied by hospital type. Major shortcomings were found in signage, enforcement, and cessation support. No hospital had trained personnel to handle violations, and hospital staff were observed smoking.
