Prevalence and Associated Factors of Cigarette Smoking Among Medical Students in Wroclaw, Poland

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the nicotine addiction syndrome among students of the medical university of Wroclaw. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anonymous self-administered online questionnaire regarding tobacco and e-cigarettes smoking was sent to 5616 students. A total of 407 students from Wrocław Medical University who fulfilled the questionnaire were enrolled. RESULTS: One-fourth of the surveyed medical students smoke or have smoked cigarettes in the past. About 75% of students report that there is no information about the harmfulness of smoking and its consequences in the course of teaching in medical studies. The majority of students, 74.5% of women and 62.8% of men, agree that nicotine dependence syndrome should become part of the curriculum of medical universities. CONCLUSION: The proportion of smokers among medical students is very high, and their knowledge of smoking is insufficient. It seems necessary to implement urgent education for medical students about the consequences of smoking and the treatment of nicotine dependence syndrome. The knowledge of future doctors about the harmfulness of smoking in the future will allow reducing the number of patients suffering from smoking-related diseases and may help reduce the number of smokers among students. It seems necessary to intensify the antismoking campaigns in Poland and worldwide.