The extent of formal tobacco cessation training received by student health professionals and the prevalence of tobacco use among them: a cross-sectional study

Ashwaghosha Parthasarathi,Raj Kumar,Padukudru Anand Mahesh,Jayaraj Biligere Siddaiah,Krishna Undela

doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16980.2

Abstract

Background: Advice from health care professionals (HCPs) is critical for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. The academic curricula for health care professional students (HCS) lack comprehensive training in assisting patients in tobacco cessation. Tobacco use among HCP’s deters them from giving proper tobacco prevention and cessation guidance. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of tobacco consumption in third-year students of four health care disciplines (medical, dental, pharmacy, and nursing) and to assess their undergraduate education on tobacco control and cessation. Methods: A web-based survey (response rate 84.4%) employing the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire; n= 838; [20.89 (SD± 0.94) years] was conducted in Mysore, India. A descriptive, comparative and multivariate analysis was performed. Results: The number of students who received formal training in smoking cessation approaches was only 14.04%. In total, two-thirds of medical students, compared to 38.9% of dental, 29.7% of pharmacy, and 11.40 % of nursing students, learned “the reasons why people smoke” as a part of their formal training. However, only less than a quarter of the study population were aware of the role of antidepressants in nicotine cessation medications. The total prevalence of tobacco use was 28.9%. A total of 37.72% wanted to quit smoking, while a mere 1.2% had sought any professional help to do so. Conclusions: Tobacco use in HCS, apart from personal health risks to themselves, may potentially affect their future commitment to support patients in tobacco cessation. There is a need for further research into tobacco prevention and cessation programs tailored to the needs of student groups. There is a need for an updated curriculum for tobacco cessation strategies and more research into better cessation strategies.

Highlights

Advice from health care professionals (HCPs) is critical for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts
The distribution of the participants who responded was highest in medical students (n=304;36.2%), followed by dental (n=199;23.2%), pharmacy (n=147;17.55%) and nursing (n=188;22.4%)
The most common age of initiation (AOI) of tobacco use was around the age of 18 for all the groups except those in dentistry who were found to have an AOI of approx. 17 years (Table 1 and Figure 1a)

Summary

Introduction

Advice from health care professionals (HCPs) is critical for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. The academic curricula for health care professional students (HCS) lack comprehensive training in assisting patients in tobacco cessation. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of tobacco consumption in third-year students of four health care disciplines (medical, dental, pharmacy, and nursing) and to assess their undergraduate education on tobacco control and cessation. Two-thirds of medical students, compared to 38.9% of dental, 29.7% of pharmacy, and 11.40 % of nursing students, learned “the reasons why people smoke” as a part of their formal training. The total prevalence of tobacco use was 28.9%. Conclusions: Tobacco use in HCS, apart from personal health risks to article can be found at the end of the article

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Discussion

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