Tobacco Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco Use among Domestic and International Medical Students in Hungary

The beliefs of medical faculty students about thirdhand smoke

INTRODUCTION

Thirdhand smoke is the toxic remnant, including pollutants and by-products, of tobacco smoke that remains in the environment after the use of tobacco products. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between the demographic characteristics and the beliefs about thirdhand smoke of medical faculty students.

METHODS

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 392 medical faculty students at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University. All the participants completed the Beliefs About ThirdHand Smoke (BATHS) questionnaire. Demographic data such as age, gender, year of study, family income level, and place of residence were recorded and evaluated together with tobacco product usage status. Factors (demographic data such as gender) affecting the BATHS scale and sub-scales were analyzed using SPSS software.

RESULTS

The study included 392 medical students. The students comprised 59.7% females and 40.3% males. The students had never used tobacco products (68.1%), 13% were previous users, and 18.9% were active users. The majority of the students stated that thirdhand smoke was harmful to the health of children (90%) and adults (85%) and that thirdhand smoke could remain in a room for days (79%). When the relationships were evaluated between the BATHS scale overall and the health and permanence subscales, and the demographic characteristics of the students, no statistically significant difference was determined according to gender, place of residence, family income level, and tobacco use status.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has provided information for the first time about the beliefs of medical faculty students about thirdhand smoke, and the relationships were investigated between these beliefs and gender, place of residence, family income level, and tobacco use status. The results of the study demonstrated that the students had a strong awareness of the harm of thirdhand smoke and of environmental permanence, and these beliefs did not change according to their own tobacco use status.

DYNAMICS OF TOBACCO SMOKING PREVALENCE AMONG STUDENTS AND DIRECTIONS OF ITS PREVENTION

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To study the dynamics of tobacco smoking prevalence among students and to find out the main directions of its prevention.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: The research involved 647 students (men and women) of the first - fourth instructional years of pedagogical specialties. The research was conducted during 2020-2022. The research methods included analysis and generalization of literary source on the research topic, documentary method, questionnaires, pedagogical observation and statistical methods.

RESULTS

Results: It was found that the phenomenon of tobacco smoking has long historical roots and is widespread in all countries of the world. It was found that 32.4 % of male students and 14.9 % of female ones smoke; herewith, 16.0 % of male and 8.3 % of female students smoke up to 10 cigarettes per day. It is established that a number of normative legal documents have been adopted and a system of preventive measures has been developed in order to counteract smoking among students.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Smoking is a significant health and social problem the solution of which requires significant human and financial resources. Despite some achievements in this area, the active involvement of not only men, but also women, mainly students, in smoking is of particular concern. The use of tobacco products provokes a threat to the health of students and the population as a whole, which requires additional efforts on the part of society, government agencies and non-governmental organizations to prevent this addiction.

Exploring factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among young people: A systematic scoping review

PURPOSE

While smoking is declining among young people, smokeless tobacco use is increasing. Identifying who is using smokeless tobacco and why is essential in preventing smokeless tobacco use. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the factors of young people's use of smokeless tobacco in western countries and identify research gaps.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic scoping review of studies that examined factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among young people (ages 13-29) from western countries published between January 2011 and September 2021. Searches were conducted in CINAHL, Medline, and Scopus. Studies on adults, total tobacco use (i.e., did not differentiate between tobacco product types), dual and multiple uses of tobacco, and studies on smokeless tobacco cessation programs were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 160 studies were included in this scoping review. The studies were primarily undertaken in the US and the Scandinavian countries, and the majority explored smokeless tobacco use without distinguishing between the specific types. Smokeless tobacco users were more likely to be male, non-Hispanic white, engaging in physical activity, and using other substances, including cigarettes and alcohol. The role of friends and family were identified as critical factors that were related to the use of smokeless tobacco.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review suggests that preventative measures against smokeless tobacco use should focus on peer and family members' roles and that these measures may benefit from targeting males. Additional research, including systematic reviews on this area to validate the identified associated factors, would improve the understanding of smokeless tobacco use.