Prevalence and factors associated with cigarette smoking among resident university students: A crosssectional study from Bangladesh

The impact of health promotion training on university students' health perceptions, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and risky behaviors

Introduction

University period is a critical developmental stage in which health-related behaviors that will be effective throughout life are acquired. This study aims to to evaluate the effect of health promotion education given touniversity students on health perception, health behaviors and risky behaviors, to investigate the impact of the demographic characteristics of the participants on these three variables, and to investigate the potential relationship between the three variables.

Methods

It is a quasi-experimental study using a pre-post test design This study was conducted with 179 students. The Health Perception Scale, the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale, and the Risky Behaviors Scale were used to collect the data. A 7-week training program was implemented, and the post-training evaluation was made after 3 months. Percentage, mean, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon analysis, and Spearmen Correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results

After health promotion training, it was determined that health perception and healthy lifestyle behaviors increased and risky behaviors decreased. A significant negative relationship was found between health perception after training and antisocial behavior, suicidal tendencies and dropping out of school. A significant negative relationship was found between healthy lifestyle habits and antisocial behavior, suicidal tendencies and school dropout. A positive significant relationship was determined between health perception and healthy lifestyle behaviors. The results of this study provide evidence of the effectiveness of training interventions in improving healthy lifestyle behaviors and health perception and reducing risky behaviors.

Discussion

The results support the planning of training programs to promote health on campuses. It also shows the effectiveness of training programs in preventing antisocial behavior, suicidal tendencies and school dropout.

Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with poor sleep quality among non-smoking university students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional survey

Although secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is predominant in Bangladesh, the adverse effect of SHS exposure on health-related behaviors, such as sleep quality, have remained an under-investigated area of the country's public health landscape. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between SHS exposure and poor sleep quality among non-smoking university students in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was carried out between May and September 2022. SHS exposure (main predictor variable) and other covariates (e.g., age, sex, etc.) were measured using a self-reported questionnaire and sleep quality (outcome variable) was measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Multiple logistic regression models investigated the association between SHS exposure and poor sleep quality. The study included 390 students (mean age: 22 years, 53.8% male). Approximately 41.8% of the participants reported SHS exposure, and 50.5% had poor sleep quality. Students exposed to SHS were more likely to have poor sleep quality compared to their counterparts (AOR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.01, 2.58). Subgroup analysis revealed poor sleep quality was 2-times higher among male students exposed to SHS than those male students without SHS exposure (AOR = 2.03; 95% CI 1.05, 3.93). No association was found in female students. Findings from this study warrant increased awareness and public health initiatives on the implications of SHS on health behaviors, such as sleep quality, in non-smoking Bangladeshi university students.

Puff or pass: do social media and social interactions influence smoking behaviour of university students? A cross-sectional mixed methods study from Dhaka, Bangladesh

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the odds of being a smoker differ based on social media use and social interactions among urban university students in Bangladesh.

HYPOTHESIS

Social media use and social interactions influence the smoking behaviour of Bangladeshi university students, particularly in starting and maintaining cigarette smoking.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A cross-sectional study using mixed methods on 600 student smokers and non-smokers recruited from two public and two private universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a lower middle-income country with limited resources. Exclusion criteria were those who did not use any form of social media and PhD students.

RESULTS

Odds of smoking were significantly higher for those who socialised more than 4 hours/day (p<0.05; OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.12 to 2.75) and typically at night (p<0.05; OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.95 to 4.00). Odds of smoking were also higher for those who liked (p<0.05; OR 4.85; 95% CI 3.32 to 7.11), shared (p<0.05; OR 20.50; 95% CI 13.02 to 32.26) and followed (p<0.05; OR 2.88; 95% CI 1.36 to 6.11) tobacco-related content on social media. Qualitative analysis resulted in emergent themes of smokers imitating tobacco-related photos or videos seen on social media and peers as an influence for smoking initiation.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests social media and social interactions may influence smoking behaviour in university students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Future research should continue to investigate the roles social media and social interaction have on smoking in order to explore social media-based smoking cessation interventions or dissemination of smoking health hazards through social media.