Tobacco consumption and environmental exposure among healthcare students in King Saud University in Riyadh

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking in healthcare students at a university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, along with environmental exposure and potential influential factors. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud Univ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family medicine and primary care 2020-02, Vol.9 (2), p.657-663
Main Authors: Amin, Hussein, Alomair, Abdullah, Alhammad, Abdulaziz, Altwijri, Faisal, Altaweel, Abdulaziz, Alandejani, Tawfeq
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
environmental exposure
Environmental toxicology
Family relations
healthcare students
Information management
Medical schools
Original
prevalence
Smoking
Students
Surveys
water-pipe
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Summary:Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking in healthcare students at a university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, along with environmental exposure and potential influential factors. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud University from January-April 2019. It included 1,273 randomly selected male and female first- to fifth-year undergraduate healthcare students from all health colleges at the university. The study used a self-administrated questionnaire and descriptive data analysis. Associations between variables were tested using a Chi-square test with the statistical significance set at P value < 0.05. Results: Among the 1,273 respondents, the prevalence of tobacco product smoking was 13.7%. The prevalence was highest in the College of Applied Science (34.5%) and lowest in the College of Pharmacy (10.9%). Among those 18- to 21-year-olds, the prevalence was 43.1%, while it was 51.1% for the 22-25 age group and only 5.8% for those 26 or older. Common reasons for smoking cigarettes included having fun or passing time (45.2%) and relieving stress (33.3%). Among those who smoked a water-pipe (12.5%), the most common reason was to enjoy its flavors (42.1%). The prevalence of secondhand smoking at home was 31.7%, and environmental exposure was 42.5%. Conclusion: Tobacco consumption is a common problem among healthcare students including cigarette as well as the increasing consumption of water-pipe in addition to secondhand smoking. Along with proven strategies to promote smoking cessation, including smoke-free laws, improved access to effective quitting treatments and media campaigns are needed to reduce tobacco consumption.
ISSN:2249-4863
2278-7135
DOI:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1217_19