[Smoking among nursing students].

The aim of this work is to study smoking habits in young adults in a particularly sensitive environment. The data were collected in 28 nursing schools of the Public Hospital System in Paris by means of anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The questions focused on smoking habits, knowledge of risks and student attitudes. The 5,598 respondents (mean age of 22.6 years) were 89 per cent female. The results showed a high prevalence of current smoking (44%) especially amongst the younger students. Students preferred brands with a medium range tar level. Most of the students knew the smoking risk, agreed with the policy of prohibiting smoking in the hospital and thought that it is the role of nurses to counsel patients to stop smoking, but only one third hold a positive view of this role.