Association between Smoking and Academic Performance among Under-Graduate Students of Pakistan, A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundPrevalence of smoking is on the rise and its harmful effects on every organ of body are well known.Smoking is a growing concern due to adverse effects on health, its association with academic performance is not well studied. ObjectivesThis study aims to assess the prevalence of smoking among undergraduate students of age 18-24 years in a public sector university of Islamabad, association between smoking and academic performance and also to assess the reasons of smoking initiation among undergraduate students. MethodsThe study included 500 undergraduate students. A self-report structured questionnaire was used to assess smoking, dietary habits, physical activity, parent's smoking, friend's smoking, time spent on mobile and TV and academic performance for collection of data. Logistic regression was used for association between smoking and academic performance. ResultsResults of study show that 112/500 (22.4%) students were smokers among them 93/112 (34.6%) were males and 19/112 (8.2%) were females. The mean age of study participants was 21.50 years (SD: 1.72. Prevalence of smoking was higher in students belonging to rural areas 23.5% to that of urban areas 21.9%. Three major reasons of smoking initiation; 25% students stated peers and friends, 21% stated easy availability while 14% said it was fun and enjoyment they started smoking. High academic performance was found to be inversely proportional to student's smoking; at p-value 0.000 smokers had 2.5 (1.77, 3.74) odds of lower academic performance, boys having 2.17 (1.56, 3.03) odds of lower academic performance in last semester exams. ConclusionFindings highlighted extensive cigarette smoking among undergraduate students of Islamabad.Smoking is significantly and negatively associated with academic performance.

Determinants of good academic performance among university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

“…Similarly, in Jordan, lower academic performance was positively associated with smoking [ 17 ]. In both Pakistan [ 25 ] and Korea [ 26 ], students who achieve good academic performance were less likely to smoke. Besides, a study from Finland suggested that smoking both predicts and is predicted by lower academic achievement [ 27 ].…”

Impact of Smoking Status and Nicotine Dependence on Academic Performance of Health Sciences Students

“… 9 More importantly, studies suggest that cigarette smoking can influence students’ academic performance. 10–13 …”

“…In support of these findings, it has also been reported that smoking is also negatively associated with academic performance among Norwegian adolescents 11 and undergraduates at a public university in Islamabad, Pakistan. 10 …”

“…9 More importantly, studies suggest that cigarette smoking can influence students' academic performance. [10][11][12][13] Nicotine is the main addictive component in cigarettes. Nicotine dependence or addiction, commonly assessed using the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire, 14 can lead to both physiological and psychological effects.…”

“…In support of these findings, it has also been reported that smoking is also negatively associated with academic performance among Norwegian adolescents 11 and undergraduates at a public university in Islamabad, Pakistan. 10 Although previous studies have suggested a high prevalence of cigarette smoking among medical students, the prevalence of cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence among other allied health sciences students (such as Anesthesia Technology, Biomedical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Emergency Medical Services, Health Information Management, Respiratory Care, and Nursing professions) have not been assessed before in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the association between nicotine dependence as a result of cigarette smoking and academic performance indicators among health sciences students in the country is largely unknown.…”