Smoking at school: views of Turkish university students

Smoking Prevalence, Attitudes and Behavior among Dental Students in Poland and Italy

The aim of the study was to perform preliminary research to compare the smoking prevalence, attitudes and behavior between dentistry students in two universities in Europe using the standardized Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. This was cross-sectional carried out among dentistry students from the Medical University in Bialystok, Poland and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. There were 582 participants; 282 were Italians, 202 were smokers and 42% were Italians. The response rate was 79.9% of Italian students and 79.6% of Polish students. The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher among Italian students (42% vs. 28.0%). Attitudes and behaviour of smokers and non-smokers differed statistically. Polish and Italian dental students presented statistically different behavior regarding the time to smoke the first cigarette, the willingness to stop smoking and trying to stop smoking in the last year. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two independent variables, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places (OR = 3.26 and OR = 5.9, respectively), showed a significantly higher occurrence of smoking. There is a high use of tobacco among dental students, which is particularly high in Italian dental students. Students realizes the positive perception of their own tobacco counsellor role in a dental setting. Dental students should be role models to their peers and patients.

Socio-demographic Factors Associated with Smoking Habits Among University Students in Belgrade, Serbia

Background

Smoking rates in Serbian adults are among the highest in Europe. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of smoking and smoking-related behaviours of Belgrade University students depending on their sociodemographic characteristics and faculty group.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 2,608 Belgrade University students (59.6% female) in 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to the opportunity sample to collect the data describing students' smoking habits and attitudes across all 30 faculties of the university.

Results

30.5% of students reported smoking: 26.4% of medical, and 31.1% of non-medical ones. Smoking rate among female students was 31.2% vs. 29.5% among males. Age (p=0.001), relationship (<0.001) and employment status (p=0.002) had statistically significant influence on smoking status, while the differences in smoking status between genders (p=0.141) and medical and non-medical group of students (p=0.066) were not statistically significant. The highest percentage of students started smoking during high school (66.2%). As the most common reason to start smoking, respondents cited peer influence (36.5%). 44.3% of students who smoked unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking.

Conclusion

To combat high smoking prevalence among a younger population, the formal education of students about the adverse impacts of smoking should be integrated in all active anti-smoking programs. Medical students, as future healthcare professionals, can play an important role in smoking rates reduction among both younger and general populations, if properly trained and educated about smoking prevention and cessation techniques.

Risk factors influencing smoking behavior: a Turkish twin study

AIM

In this study, we introduce the first twin study in Turkey, focusing on smoking behavior, and laying the foundation to register all twins born in Turkey for research purposes. Using Turkish twins will contribute to our understanding of health problems in the context of cultural differences.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We assessed 309 twin pairs (339 males and 279 females) aged between 15 and 45 years living in the Kırıkkale and Ankara regions of Turkey, and administered a health and lifestyle interview that included questions about smoking status and smoking history. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and bivariate and multivariate clustered logistic regression. In addition, we fit bivariate Structural Equation Models (SEM) to determine contributions of latent genetic and environmental factors to smoking outcomes in this sample.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-eight participants (28.8%) were identified as smokers, smoking every day for a month or longer, of whom 79.2% were males and 20.8% were females. Mean values for number of cigarettes per day and the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND; Fagerstrom, 1978) score were higher in males than in females, and age of onset was earlier in males. There was a significant positive correlation between the FTND score and number of cigarettes smoked per day, and a significant negative correlation between both variables and age at onset of smoking. Our study showed that gender, presence of a smoking twin in the family, age, alcohol use, marital status, daily sports activities, and feeling moody all played a significant role in smoking behavior among twins. The twin analysis suggested that 79.5% of the liability to FTND was influenced by genetic factors and 20.5% by unique environment, while familial resemblance for smoking initiation was best explained by common environmental factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Marked differences in the prevalence of smoking behavior in men versus women were observed for the Turkish population. Genetic analyses showed that common environmental factors primarily contributed to smoking initiation, while genetic factors explained a greater proportion of variance in liability to nicotine dependence. Our study shows higher heritability estimate of the FTND scores and higher shared environmental influence on smoking initiation for both males and females than reported in previous studies.

Self reported dental health attitudes and behaviour of dental students in Turkey

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to compare the differences in self-reported oral health attitudes and behaviour between preclinical and clinical dental students in Turkey using Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI).

METHODS

A Turkish version HU-DBI questionnaire with additional 7 questions, totally 27 items, was distributed among 1022 dental students.

RESULTS

The response rate was 75% (486 preclinical and 278 clinical students). Significantly higher (P=0.000) percentage of the preclinical students, compared to clinical students, worry about colour of their teeth, are bothered by the colour of their gums, put off going to the dentist until they have a toothache; think that their teeth are getting worse despite their daily brushing, it is impossible to prevent gum disease with tooth brushing alone, and they cannot help having false teeth when they are old. Moreover, the preclinical students more frequently agree on that their gums tend to bleed when they brush their teeth, they use a toothbrush which has hard bristles, and they don't feel they've brushed well unless with strong strokes (P=0.000). However, a higher proportion of clinical students compared to preclinical students brush each of their teeth carefully, think that they can clean their teeth without using toothpaste, have had their dentist tell them that they brush very well (P=0.000). The HU-DBI score of clinical students (7.47±1.86) was significantly (P=0.000) higher than preclinical students (6.00±1.86).

CONCLUSIONS

Dental students should have a comprehensive program, including their self-care regimes, starting from their first year of education.

Smoking determinants in Turkish university students

The aim was to explore the prevalence and the correlates of smoking in a group of Turkish university students. A sample of 1,870 students (21.2 ± 2.0 years old) completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Smoking was highly prevalent (35.9%) in this sample. Male gender (OR = 2.72, CI 2.15–3.44), and parental smoking (OR = 1.41, CI 1.13–1.78) were factors associated with increased likelihood of smoking. Higher depressive symptoms and hopelessness levels were significantly related to smoking behavior. Smoking behavior might initiate as a mild and transient habit and unfortunately could become more serious and lead to an actual dependence. The results of this study show that it is necessary to pay attention to levels of depression and hopelessness, as well as parental influence.