Naseeb Uzma, Alam Muhammad Tauseef, Pervez Faariah, Mustafa Muhammad Saqlain, Azam Umama, Laila Sindhu, Shafique Muhammad Ashir
Department of Biochemistry, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Department of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Tob Use Insights. 2024 May 23;17:1179173X241258347. doi: 10.1177/1179173X241258347. eCollection 2024.
Passive smoking, the involuntary inhalation of tobacco smoke, poses significant health risks; however, its prevalence and impact on medical and dental students in Karachi, Pakistan, remain understudied. Therefore, this research aims to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding passive smoking among medical and dental students and will help shed light on their awareness, perceptions, and behaviours regarding this public health concern.
A cross-sectional study was conducted over 3 months, involving 378 medical and dental students (303 medical and 75 dental students)from various universities in Karachi. Participants completed a questionnaire to gather information on demographics, awareness of passive smoking, perceptions of its health effects, and actions taken in response to exposure.
The majority of participants demonstrated awareness of passive smoking 320 (84.7%) and believed that it was essentially linked to active smoking 320 (84.7%). Cigarette smoke was identified as the primary contributor to passive smoking 345 (91.3%). A significant proportion of participants believed that children and pregnant women exposed to passive smoking had elevated health risks. In areas where smoking is not permissible, less than half of the participants 173 (45.8%) reminded smokers about the smoking regulations, and a few even referred smokers for counselling 141 (37.3%). Males are usually indifferent to smokers around them, whereas females are found uncomfortable with smoking in their surroundings.
In conclusion, our study highlights the persistent prevalence of passive smoking among medical and dental students in Pakistan. Enforcing strict tobacco control policies, integrating passive smoking education into medical curricula, and improving communication strategies for smoking cessation interventions are crucial steps towards creating smoke-free environments and healthier lifestyles nationwide. Despite awareness among medical and dental students about the dangers of cigarette smoking, their reluctance to urge regular smokers to quit underscores the need for improved communication between smokers and non-smokers to foster a cleaner and hazard-free environment.
被动吸烟，即非自愿吸入烟草烟雾，会带来重大健康风险；然而，其在巴基斯坦卡拉奇的医科和牙科学生中的流行情况及其影响仍未得到充分研究。因此，本研究旨在了解医科和牙科学生对被动吸烟的知识、态度和行为（KAP），并有助于揭示他们对这一公共卫生问题的认识、看法和行为。
进行了一项为期3个月的横断面研究，涉及来自卡拉奇各大学的378名医科和牙科学生（303名医科学生和75名牙科学生）。参与者完成了一份问卷，以收集有关人口统计学、被动吸烟意识、对其健康影响的看法以及接触被动吸烟后采取的行动等信息。
大多数参与者对被动吸烟有所了解320人（84.7%），并认为被动吸烟与主动吸烟密切相关320人（84.7%）。香烟烟雾被认为是被动吸烟的主要来源345人（91.3%）。很大一部分参与者认为，接触被动吸烟的儿童和孕妇健康风险更高。在禁止吸烟的区域，不到一半的参与者173人（45.8%）提醒吸烟者注意吸烟规定，甚至有少数人建议吸烟者接受咨询141人（37.3%）。男性通常对周围的吸烟者漠不关心，而女性则对周围有人吸烟感到不舒服。
总之，我们的研究突出了被动吸烟在巴基斯坦医科和牙科学生中持续存在的情况。实施严格的烟草控制政策、将被动吸烟教育纳入医学课程以及改进戒烟干预的沟通策略，是在全国范围内创造无烟环境和更健康生活方式的关键步骤。尽管医科和牙科学生了解吸烟的危害，但他们不愿敦促经常吸烟的人戒烟，这凸显了吸烟者和非吸烟者之间改善沟通以营造更清洁、无危害环境的必要性。
