Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(1):50-56 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7595

Tobacco use in students of the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in the Czech Republic

Tereza Kopřivová Herotová1, Viktor Hynčica2, Dagmar Schneidrová1
1 Department of Hygiene, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Department of Medical Biophysics and Informatics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Objectives: This study assessed trends in tobacco use in students of the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in the Czech Republic between academic years 2012/13 and 2019/2020.

Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys designed to obtain information on smoking history, smoking status, tobacco products use, and cessation were conducted among 382 students of the 6-year Master's Study Programme (General Medicine) and the 3-year Bachelor's Study Programme (Public Health) in 2012/2013; and among 580 students of General Medicine and of the Bachelor's Study Programmes (Public Health, Dental Hygiene and Nursing) in 2019/2020.

Results: Regular/daily smoking was reported by 4.4 ± 2.4% (with 95% CI) of General Medicine students and 4.8 ± 4.1% of Public Health students in 2012/2013, and 1.3 ± 1.1% of General Medicine students and 14.4 ± 4.8% of students of bachelor studies in 2019/2020. The share of regular and occasional smokers was higher among junior students in both academic years (23.9 ± 5.1% and 20.1 ± 4.7%, respectively) compared to senior students (23.6 ± 9.8% and 9.6 ± 5.7%). Cigarettes were the most common products used in both academic years (67.0 ± 4.7% and 45.5 ± 4.0%). There was a significant increase in proportion of students using more tobacco products in the course of the time (from 12.1 ± 3.1% to 53.7 ± 4.1%). The proportion of students who quitted smoking has risen from 11.4 ± 3.2% to 16.1 ± 3.0%. On the contrary, the proportion of students who started smoking has dropped from 15.9 ± 3.7% to 2.9 ± 1.4%. The proportion of non-smokers has risen from 57.6 ± 5.0% to 65.3 ± 3.9%.

Conclusions: The study revealed some positive trends concerning tobacco use in students (decline in regular smokers among students of General Medicine, senior students, cigarette smokers, water pipe smokers; rise in non-smokers), but also negative ones (rise in regular smokers among students of Public Health, students who used more tobacco products).

Keywords: tobacco use, trend, health professions students

Received: September 20, 2022; Revised: February 24, 2023; Accepted: February 24, 2023; Published: March 31, 2023  Show citation

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Kopřivová Herotová T, Hynčica V, Schneidrová D. Tobacco use in students of the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in the Czech Republic. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2023;31(1):50-56. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a7595. PubMed PMID: 37086421.
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