ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the prevalence of smoking among young medical and dental students and explore the smoking habits and associated variables
Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Frontier Medical and Dental College, Abbottabad, Pakistan during June-July, 2015
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study where anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data like socio-demographic data and details about various aspects of smoking from 146 studysubjects
Results: The rate of smoking was found to be 23.28%, with male preponderance. The mean age of initiation of smoking was 18.79 +/- 1.68 years. The most common reason for starting smoking was company and peer pressure followed by stress or tension. The mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 13.39 +/- 6.52. The commonly used product was cigarette [89.28%] among males and waterpipe[shisha], [83.33%], among females. Majority of study subjects, 63.70%, and 73.53% of smokers were aware of harmful effects of smoking. The most commonly known harmful effects included; lung cancer, carcinoma of oral cavity, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
Conclusion: Smoking is common among medical graduates. Tobacco control measures should be introduced to reduce smoking as well as it should be made part of curricula taught at medical and dental colleges to increase awareness among students