| Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: Water-pipe tobacco smoking is becoming increasingly more common among youngpeople. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the use ofwater pipes and other forms of tobacco use, including cigarette smoking, amongmedical students, as well as to examine the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge ofthose students regarding this issue. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire to students enrolled in the University of SãoPaulo School of Medicine, in São Paulo, Brazil. The respondents were evaluated intheir third and sixth years of medical school, between 2008 and 2013. Comparisonswere drawn between the two years. RESULTS: We evaluated 586 completed questionnaires. Overall, the prevalence of currentcigarette smokers was low, with a decline among males (9.78% vs. 5.26%) and anincrease among females (1.43% vs. 2.65%) in the 3rd and 6th year, respectively.All respondents believed that health professionals should advise patients to quitsmoking. However, few of the medical students who smoked received physician adviceto quit. Experimentation with other forms of tobacco use was more common amongmales (p<0.0001). Despite their knowledge of its harmful effects, studentsexperimented with water-pipe tobacco smoking in high proportions (47.32% and46.75% of the third- and sixth-year students, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of experimentation with water-pipe tobacco smoking and other formsof tobacco use is high among aspiring physicians. Our findings highlight the needfor better preventive education programs at medical schools, not only to protectthe health of aspiring physicians but also to help them meet the challenge posedby this new epidemic. |
