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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Loïc Josseran, MD, CHU Pitiè Salpétrière, Service de Santé Publique, 43 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France, UNKNOWN, loic.josseran@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr, Gilles Herengt, MD, DIM CHU de Nancy, 29 av. du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassign, 54000 Nancy, France, and Gary King, MD, PhD, Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, Penn State University, Penn State University Park, PA 16801.
Purpose: To assess the cigarette smoking behavior of French medical students' and their knowledge and opinions about smoking. Few current studies have addressed this topic in France. Methods: Data were collected in medical schools in Rennes and Paris. Questionnaires were completed related to sociodemographic characteristics, smoking behavior, opinions and knowledge regarding tobacco use. A total of 1,551 students from multiple academic years were surveyed representing a 74% response rate. Statistical analysis included cross-tabulations and multiple logistic regression (MLR). Results:. The smoking prevalence rate was 40.1% (daily 23.6%, occasional 18.1%). Gender was unrelated to smoking status however, females smoked fewer cigarettes per day than males (8.7 vs. 10.5, p < 0.05). Older students (23 yrs or more) smoked more cigarettes per day than their younger counterparts (11.1 vs. 8.7, p < 0.01). Adjusted MLR analysis revealed that older students (23 years and older) were less likely (OR=0.69, CI=0.54 – 0.90) to be smokers than younger ones. Knowledge about tobacco in the development of disease was unrelated to smoking status and improved significantly from the first year to the final year of medical school (p<0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence rate among medical students exceeded the rate among the French population (33%) but is comparable to their population age group (40 %). The high prevalence among future physicians in France portends adversely for reducing smoking among medical practitioners (32%) and patient cessation programs involving patients. Tobacco control efforts should include specific prevention and training programs as part of medical education.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Smoking,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.