Cigarette smoking among medical students and some associated risk factors

Abstract

Background Tobacco is a leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity. College students are at high risk of smoking as they are prone to higher availability of cigarettes. Although medical students are aware about the health hazards of tobacco smoking, they, as well as physicians, smoke. Aim This study aimed to explore the characteristics of cigarette smoking problem and associated risk factors among medical students in Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on students from Tanta University, Faculty of Medicine in Egypt. Multistage random sampling technique was used. A valid specially designed self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data including age, sex, parents’ education, smoking status, family member smoking habit, and self-reported causes of smoking. Results Of 252 students, 138 were male and 114 were female. The prevalence of current smokers was 12% and ex-smokers was 6.3%; most of them were male (90.0%), and 13.1% were heavy smokers with a statistically significant association with higher parents’ education. The most commonly reported cause of cigarette smoking was stress (42%). There was a statistically significant association between quitting trials and cessation of this habit (P=0.01). Smoking habit among family members and the presence of smoking peers were significantly associated with smoking status (P=0.001, 0.008). Conclusion Cigarette smoking is a common problem among medical students despite their awareness about the health hazards of tobacco. Specific training and counseling should be part of the curriculum at medical schools.