[Medical students' attitudes towards tobacco smoking at the first and sixth year of their studies 2002-2008].

INTRODUCTION

Smoking habit among medical students indicates that studying of medicine does not sufficiently protect from tobacco use. The aim of the study was an analysis of medical students' attitudes towards smoking during at the first and sixth year of their studies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A questionnaire on tobacco smoking was distributed among medical students of the study year 2002-2008 at the first and sixth year of their studies. The questionnaire used on sixth year included additional questions which enabled to assess changes in students' attitudes towards smoking during studies, to know respondents opinion on teaching of diagnostics and treatment of tobacco dependence (TD), and to know how they evaluated their knowledge on this issue. The numbers of students who participated at two points of the study were 287 and 175 respectively.

RESULTS

Students of VI year significantly less frequently smoked cigarettes regularly than at the beginning of the medical education (13% v. 21%; p=0.022). However, 20% of smokers started smoking during studies. The rate of smokers declaring not to be embarrassed by their smoking habit was significantly lower among sixth-year students in comparison to population of first-year students (31% v. 70%; p=0.0006), as well as the rates of those who declared the will to quit smoking (91% v. 61%), and those who wished to undergo treatment for TD (54% v. 22%) were significantly higher (p=0.013 and p=0.001, respectively). Over a half (57%) of sixth-year students claimed that they had no knowledge on the diagnostics and treatment of TD or their knowledge on this issue was poor/very poor, and in opinion of 43% of students medical curriculum was not a good source of knowledge on TD.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical studies induce positive students' attitudes towards smoking. However, a proportion of individuals start smoking during studies, what may suggest dominance of genetic influences on smoking initiation in this period of life. In sixth-year students' opinion medical studies are not a sufficient source of knowledge on TD.