1. Muhammad Usman Anjum 2. Rizwan Anwar 3. Muhammad Safdar Khan

4. Rawaha Ahmad 5. Syed Humayun Shah

1. Asstt. Prof. of Pathology, 2. Asstt. Prof. of Community Medicine, 3. Asstt. Prof. of Medicine, 4. Fourth Year

Medical Student, 5. Prof. of Pathology  Frontier Medical & Dental College, Abbottabad

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 & 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 study subjects.   

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.

Key Words: Smoking, Cigarette, Student

Citation of article: Anjum MU, Anwar R, Khan MS, Ahmad R, Shah SH. Smoking Behavior among Medical and Dental Students in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Med Forum 2015; 26(11):6-9.