Smoking habits of medical school students in Turkey: Has anything changed?


Cooper R., Görceǧiz P., Aktürk N., Akyol S., Pocari E.

Turkish Journal of Cancer, vol.34, no.4, pp.146-149, 2004 (Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 34 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2004
  • Journal Name: Turkish Journal of Cancer
  • Journal Indexes: Scopus, Academic Search Premier
  • Page Numbers: pp.146-149
  • Keywords: Education, Medical school students, Smoking
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

There is an increased awareness of the risks of smoking within the medical and general population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there had been any decrease in the overall smoking rates in one Turkish University compared to previous studies. Medical students from the first and third year attending class on the day of the survey were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess their smoking habits including their awareness of smoking related diseases. Of the 151 students who completed the survey 17% were current smokers and 42% ex-smokers. Smoking rates were non-significantly higher in males compared to females (20 versus 13%, p=0.317). Sixteen percent of first year and 17% of third year students were smokers (p=0.968). Sixty-five percent of smokers had either tried or wished to quit. Awareness of smoking related diseases was similar for both the first and third year students and 80% of first year and 77% of third year students had a relative with a smoking related disease. In conclusion we observed a lower rate of smoking in Turkish medical students from one university compared to previous studies. A trend towards increased rates during the later stages of medical school training was not observed. This latter finding might relate to the early introduction into the curriculum of smoking related disease topics.