Cigarette Smoking and Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products among Pre-School Teachers in Slovenia

Introduction: Smoking and use of new tobacco and connected products usually start at an early age, and a person remains addicted for life. Therefore, it is important that healthy role models are present in one’s life, especially in the early years when children and young people are the most vulnerable. Pre-school teachers are one of the crucial role models for children, and it is important that they provide a healthy example. The objective of this paper is to present data on smoking/use and intention to quit smoking/use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in this occupa-tional group and state of infringements of the ban on smoking/use of these products within the kindergarten and on its functional land. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey on a convenience sample of pre-school teachers and assistant pre-school teachers from all regions of Slovenia in 2022 and 2023. We used a web questionnaire, including demographic questions, questions on smok-ing/use of the products, intentions to quit smoking/use, and detection of infringements of the current ban on smoking/use. Results: 1367 pre-school and assistant pre-school teachers participated in the study. Al-most one fifth (18%) of the respondents were current smokers, and less than one tenth were users of e-cigarettes (5%) and HTPs (7%). There is a low percentage of pre-school teachers who intend quit smoking or using e-cigarettes or HTPs in near future (next 30 days) - 9% of current smokers, 16% of current users of e-cigarettes and 6% of HTPs users. App. every fifth respondent detected infringement of smoke-free restrictions inside the kindergarten or on its functional land. Conclusions: As they are important role models to children, there should be more focus on raising awareness and promoting cessation among pre-school and assistant pre-school teachers. Emphasis should be given to maximum compliance with the ban on smok-ing/use of these products within the kindergarten and on its functional land.