Tobacco smoking among first-year students of the medical university

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, 5.4 million people die each year from smoking. The problem of smoking has become prevalent among young people, including high school students and university students, including medical students. The purpose of the work is to analyze the state of smoking among the medical workers of Ukraine, students of medical universities and attitudes to smoking of students of the 1st course of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya based on the results of a sociological survey of 2017, to identify measures to reduce tobacco use. In 2017, a sociological survey of doctors and first-year students of the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya was done. It has been established that the problem of tobacco smoking is already relevant from the 1st year of study at a medical university: among Ukrainian 1st year students more than one fifth of the total number of smokers among 1st year foreign students the habit of tobacco smoking is formed in more than 38% of first-year students. The overwhelming number of medical students began to use tobacco at the age of 16-17 years. For more than 30% of Ukrainian respondents and almost 70% of foreigners, the main factor that prompted tobacco smoking was the influence of a company of friends, but more than 60% of respondents consider stress to be the main reason for starting smoking. Following the example of parents, 37% of Ukrainian and 22% of foreign students began to smoke. Almost all medical students are aware of the dangers of smoking. At the moment, 13% of Ukrainian and 7% of foreign students believe that the habit of tobacco reduces respect for them and the school. The majority of Ukrainian students (70%) and 43.75% of foreign students who smoke reported that they have a goal to get rid of their bad habit in the near future. According to the results of a sociological survey, anti-tobacco measures were proposed. At the moment, 13% of Ukrainian and 7% of foreign students believe that the habit of tobacco reduces respect for them in school. The majority of Ukrainian students (70%) and 43.75% of foreign students, smoke, noticed, with the aim to get rid of the bad habit in the near future. Thus, smoking is common among first-year medical students; anti-tobacco activities should be part of a preventive comprehensive program and form the basis of a healthy lifestyle.