Cigarettes and Waterpipe Smoking Among Medical Students in Syria: a Cross-Sectional Study
INT J TUBERC LUNG DIS 12(9):1085–1091 © 2008 The Union Cigarettes and waterpipe smoking among medical students in Syria: a cross-sectional study M. Q. Almerie,* H. E. Matar,* M. Salam,* A. Morad,* M. Abdulaal,* A. Koudsi,* W. Maziak†‡ * Department of Family & Community Medicine, Damascus University, Damascus, † Syrian Centre for Tobacco Studies, Aleppo, Syria; ‡ Department of Health & Sports Sciences, Memphis University, Memphis, Tennessee, USA SUMMARY OBJECTIVES: To investigate tobacco use, beliefs and at- and 27%) compared to their younger counterparts (6.6% titudes among medical students in Syria. and 19.7%). Regular smoking patterns predominated for METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a random sample cigarettes (62%), while occasional use patterns predomi- of 570 medical students (fi rst and fi fth year) registered at nated for waterpipes (83%). More than two thirds of stu- the Damascus University Faculty of Medicine in 2006– dents (69%) thought they might not address or would have 2007. We used a self-administered questionnaire for demo- diffi culty addressing smoking in their future patients. graphic information, smoking behaviour (cigarette, water- CONCLUSION: The level of tobacco use among Syrian pipe), family and peer smoking, attitudes and beliefs medical students is alarming and highlights the rapidly about smoking and future role in advising patients to quit changing patterns of waterpipe use, especially among fe- smoking. male students. Medical schools should work harder to RESULTS: The overall prevalence of tobacco use was tackle this phenomenon and address it more effi ciently 10.9% for cigarettes (15.8% men, 3.3% women), 23.5% in their curricula.
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