Cigarette Smoking and E-Cigarette Use by Pharmacy Students in Serbia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the use of e-cigarettes among pharmacy students. In 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional study among pharmacy students enrolled at the University of Kragujevac (Serbia). Overall, 47.0% of pharmacy students reported that they ever smoked cigarettes; 29.7% were former and 17.3% were current smokers. The overall prevalence of e-cigarette use was 9.9%. The final year pharmacy students significantly more frequently smoked tobacco cigarettes (p = .001) and used e-cigarettes (p = .009) compared to younger students. Also, alcohol use was positively related to ever smoking tobacco cigarettes (adjusted OR = 4.57, 95% CI = 2.80–7.43; p < .001) and to ever use of e-cigarettes (adjusted OR = 5.58, 95% CI = 1.58–19.71; p = .008). The pharmacy students who ever used e-cigarettes more frequently reported a history of self-funded study financing (adjusted OR = 14.68, 95% CI = 2.42–89.17; p = .004) and use of psychoactive substances (adjusted OR = 13.63, 95% CI = 2.52–73.69; p = .002). In pharmacy students, a higher overall grade was related to a significantly less frequent ever use of tobacco cigarettes (adjusted OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22–0.84, p = .015). This paper highlights the need for a more effective tobacco control among pharmacy students in Serbia in order to reduce smoking prevalence.