Knowledge, Attitudes, Prevalence and Associated Factors of Cigarette Smoking Among University Students: A Cross Sectional Study

Examining the influence of global smoking prevalence on stroke mortality: insights from 27 countries across income strata

BACKGROUND

This study investigates the influence of Global Smoking Prevalence (GSP) on Stroke Death Rates (SDR) across 27 countries categorized into High-Income Countries (HIC), Upper Middle-Income Countries (UMIC), Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), and Low-Income Countries (LIC).

METHODS

Analysing data from two distinct periods (1990-1999 and 2010-2019), countries exhibiting an increased SDR were selected. The study uses a polynomial regression model, treating income groups as cross-sectional and years as time series data.

RESULTS

Results from the regression model reveal that 17 countries observed a significant impact of GSP on SDR, with only Turkey, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste resulting in negative values. However, the study emphasises that out of all 27 countries, the highest occurrence of the impact of GSP on SDR has been reported in the LMIC stratum for the period under review.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that GSP affects the risk of incidence of stroke death, specifically in the LMIC stratum. Furthermore, it has been identified that GSP is a major preventable risk factor affecting global mortality. To mitigate the risk of stroke death attributable to smoking prevalence, necessary preventive steps should be adopted to encourage smoking cessation, and essential policies should be implemented to reduce the burden of SDR.

Knowledge of smoking and influencing factors among school-going adolescents in Timor-Leste

OBJECTIVES

Knowledge of smoking is a protective factor for adolescent smoking. This study is the first to examine sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with adolescents' knowledge of smoking in Timor-Leste. It is also a pioneering investigation into the ways in which exposure to anti-tobacco messages and health warnings on cigarette packages, and involvement in smoking-related education at schools and home mediate the relationship between school grade levels and smoking knowledge.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey Timor-Leste. Ordered logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between knowledge of smoking and sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors. Structural equation modelling was utilized to explore the mediating effects.

RESULTS

Adolescents were less likely to have high knowledge of smoking if they were lower-secondary students, were males, had unemployed parents and had no closest friends who smoked. The relationship between grade levels and smoking knowledge was partly mediated by awareness of anti-tobacco messages on mass media, school education about the dangers of smoking and family discussion about smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors play an important role in determining knowledge of smoking among adolescents. To some extent, awareness-, education- and family-related variables explain how grade levels affect smoking knowledge.

Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking and Associated Risk Factors Among Public Sector Employees in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction There needs to be more evidence about the tobacco products utilized by individuals who smoke and the primary determinants contributing to the development of smoking behavior. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with using one or more tobacco products among employees from various ministries in Kuwait. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among employees in different ministries in Kuwait from December 27, 2018, to January 3, 2019. A questionnaire about smoking status and socio-demographic variables was used.  Results There was a total of 1057 participants in this study. Of the participants, 26% (n=275) reported using at least one tobacco product. The proportion of smoking of at least one tobacco product was higher among men (n=243, 46.5%) than women (n=32, 6%). Among smokers, 1.5%, 5.9%, and 18.6% reportedly use only three, two, and one tobacco products, respectively. Of the study participants, 26% were smokers, 20.3% were exclusively cigarette smokers, and 21.8% reportedly started cigarette smoking at the age of 15 years or less. Male compared to female workers had higher odds of being smokers of at least one tobacco product (adjusted OR= 15.3, 95% CI= 10.0-23.4). Participants were significantly (p= 0.009) more likely to use at least one tobacco product if their monthly income in Kuwaiti Dinars ranged from 501-1000 KD (adjusted OR= 1.9, 95% CI= 1.2-3.0) or 1501-2000 KD (adjusted OR= 2.3, 95% CI= 1.2-4.5) compared to those who had monthly income range 500 KD or less. Conclusion The male gender and high income of the participants were significant predictors of the use of at least one tobacco product. Anti-smoking campaigns, mass media interventions, and increasing tobacco product taxes may minimize this population's tobacco consumption.

Assessing Smoking Habits, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Needs among University Students at the University of Milan, Italy

BACKGROUND

College campuses and universities are valuable settings for smoking prevention programs targeting young adults.

AIM

To investigate smoking habits, electronic cigarette (e-cig) and heated tobacco product (HTP) use, exposure to passive smoke, compliance with smoking bans on campus, attitudes toward the anti-smoking policies, and educational needs among students at the University of Milan, Italy.

METHODS

A validated questionnaire was web-submitted to 64,801 students in the period May-July 2021. For each item, the frequency was calculated and χ² test with Bonferroni correction was used to compare differences among the 10 faculties of the University.

RESULTS

7162 students participated in the survey, while 6605 questionnaires were included in this report (62% female, 84% aged 18-25 years). Sixty-four percent of participants were never smokers, 19% were smokers, 2.8% were e-cig or HTP users, 3.7% were dual smokers, 10% were former smokers, and 66% reported routinely spending free time with smokers. Almost all students were aware of the dangers of active and passive smoking of cigarettes, while about 20% did not have an opinion on the dangers of e-cigs/HTPs. Only 49% were aware of the smoking ban in the outdoor areas of the university. Students from the faculties of Law and Political, Economic, and Social Sciences smoked more frequently and were more frequently exposed to passive smoke than other students. Medicine students were the most aware of the dangers of passive smoking and using e-cigs/HTPs.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study in Italy involving the entire student population of a university and highlighting differences among faculties in terms of active and passive smoking and opinions. The results suggest that prevention campaigns addressed to students should consider their specific study curricula and give information tailored to the different educational needs to efficiently support health promotion.

Clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, there is substantial evidence that modifiable risk factors for CVD are increasing in adolescents. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence and clustering of these risk factors in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

This study explores the modifiable risk factors for CVD among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

METHODS

A total of 546 newly admitted students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, were recruited using stratified random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from study participants between January and February 2016.

RESULTS

The mean age of respondents was 19 ± 2.2 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. The reported risk factors for CVD were smoking (1.6%), abdominal obesity (3.3%), alcohol consumption (3.7%), overweight/obesity (20.7%), unhealthy diet (85.3%), and physical inactivity (94.5%). Clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was reported in 23.4% of students. Female students were twice as probably overweight/obese as male students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.2; confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-3.43). Students whose fathers were skilled workers were 3.5 times more likely to be physically inactive (AOR = 1.7; CI = 0.97-2.96). The clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was significantly higher among women and Muslims in bivariate analysis, whereas no significant association was found in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Public health strategies to prevent CVD risk factors should begin in schools and extend to the entire community.

Prevalence and factors related to secondhand smoke exposure among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from Malaysia Global Health School Survey 2012 and 2017

INTRODUCTION

Secondhand (SHS) smoke exposure has caused various health problems. Therefore, continuous monitoring of SHS exposure is important to determine the efficacy of various anti-tobacco measure implemented. The study aims to compare the prevalence and factor(s) associated with SHS exposure among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia during 2012 and 2017.

METHODS

We derived data from the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) 2012 and GSHS 2017, which was carried out in Malaysia using multistage sampling to select representative samples of secondary school-going adolescents. Both surveys used similar questionnaires to measure SHS exposure. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the prevalence and factors associated with SHS exposure.

RESULTS

Approximately four in ten respondents were exposed to SHS in the past week in both surveys (41.5% in GSHS 2012 and 42.0% in GSHS 2017, respectively). Both surveys revealed a significantly higher SHS exposure among respondents who smoked than among non-smokers and higher among males compared to females. The likelihood of SHS exposure in both surveys was also similar, with a higher likelihood of SHS exposure among smoking adolescents and non-smoking adolescents who had at least one smoking parent/guardian, regardless of their own smoking status. Male adolescents had a higher risk of SHS exposure compared to their female counterparts. Meanwhile, SHS risk also increased with age, regardless of smoking status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested that there were no changes in the prevalence of SHS exposure and recorded only a slight change in the factors associated with exposure to SHS among school-going adolescents in Malaysia between the years 2012 and 2017. A more pro-active, extensive and comprehensive programme should be implemented to address the problem of SHS exposure. Parents should be advised to stop smoking or abstain from smoking in the presence of their children, and smoking cessation interventions are necessary for smoking adolescents and their parents.