Changes in use, knowledge, beliefs and attitudes relating to tobacco among nursing and physiotherapy students: a 10-year analysis.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To analyse changes in prevalence, knowledge, beliefs and attitudes relating to smoking among undergraduate nursing and physiotherapy students over a 10-year period. BACKGROUND: Few studies have been performed to describe changes in the use of tobacco and associated characteristics. DESIGN: This study was a sequential cross-sectional study. METHODS: A self-administered survey was performed during three academic years among nursing and physiotherapy students in a Spanish Faculty of Health Sciences. FINDINGS: The proportion of smokers among nursing and physiotherapy students in 2003, 2008 and 2013 was 29·3%, 24·7% and 18·2% respectively. The ages when participants first smoked did not vary over the years. The Fagerström test showed low nicotine dependence. A significantly high percentage of students stated they were unaware of the link between smoking and bladder cancer and oral leukoplakia. Students declared they were unaware of the association between under-weight new-borns and second-hand smoke. The majority of students recognized that healthcare professionals were role models in society, there being little variation over the years studied. In relation to education and training, the study showed a need to inform students about methods and strategies to help people quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of smoking among nursing and physiotherapy students decreased over the ten years. Active programmes should be implemented to encourage those university students who smoke to break this habit. The decline over the years in knowledge about smoking provided evidence of a significant deficit in undergraduate training.