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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Valeska Figueiredo, MD, Ary Frauzino Foundation, National Cancer Institute of Brazil, Rua dos Invalidos, 212/8, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, +55 (21) 3970-7407, valeska@inca.gov.br, Julio Wong, Ary Frauzino FoundationNational, National Cancer Institute of Brazil, Rua dos Invalidos, 212/8, Rua dos Invalidos, 212/8, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Katherine Clegg Smith, PhD, Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway Rm 726, Baltimore, MD 21205, and Frances Stillman, EdD, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21209.

Smoking represents a public health problem not only in developed countries but also in developing countries such as Brazil. The Brazilian National Program of Tobacco Prevention and Control is focusing on projects that will gather data for the formulation of public policies on smoking, development of intervention actions for prevention and control, and providing capacity development focused on building qualitative research skills. Brazil lacks information about tobacco use among young adults. Studies conducted in other countries show that environmental factors such as price, advertising and easy purchase exert an independent effect on the profile of tobacco use and should be studied so as to increase the effectiveness of intervention strategies. The main objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of smoking and identify beliefs, knowledge and attitudes of the students registered in their first and fourth semesters in different colleges of a major university in Rio de Janeiro. This is one of the first studies in Brazil to use qualitative methods along with more standard quantitative methods. This presentation will provide estimates of smoking prevalence, beliefs, opinions and attitudes as to the initiation and cessation of smoking, environmental smoking exposure and tobacco control measures in the study population. In addition, socio-cultural factors and those related to environmental factors including access to cigarettes and tobacco industry promotions around the university campus will be discussed. The results of this study will support the development of measures to reduce tobacco use among young adults attending University in Rio de Janeiro.

Learning Objectives:

• Public health professionals interested in global tobacco control.

Keywords: Tobacco Control, International Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation