Future physicians and tobacco: an online survey of the habits, beliefs and knowledge base of medical students at a Canadian University

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about the knowledge and attitudes towards tobacco use among medical students in Canada. Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use among medical students, assess their perceived level of education about tobacco addiction management and their preparedness to address tobacco use with their future patients.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was administered to University of Alberta undergraduate medical school trainees. The 32-question survey addressed student demographics, tobacco use, knowledge and attitudes around tobacco and waterpipe smoking, tobacco education received in medical school, as well as knowledge and competency regarding tobacco cessation interventions.ResultsOf 681 polled students, 301 completed the survey. Current (defined as “use within the last 30 days”) cigarette, cigar/cigarillo and waterpipe smoking prevalence was 3.3%, 6% and 6%, respectively. One third of the respondents had ever smoked a cigarette, but 41% had tried cigars/cigarillos and 40% had smoked a waterpipe at some time in the past. Students reported moderate levels of education on a variety of tobacco-related subjects but were well-informed on the role of tobacco in disease causation. The majority of students in their final two years of training felt competent to provide tobacco cessation interventions, but only 10% definitively agreed that they had received enough training in this area.ConclusionsWaterpipe exposure/current use was surprisingly high among this sample of medical students, a population well educated about the role of tobacco in disease causation. The majority of respondents appeared to be adequately prepared to manage tobacco addiction but education could be improved, particularly training in behavioral modification techniques used in tobacco use cessation.

Knowledge About the Waterpipe (Hookah), a Qualitative Assessment Among Community Workers in a Major Urban Center in Canada

“…Recent evidence supports this estimation, data from the Canadian youth smoking survey showed that in 2012-2013, about 24 % of students in grades 6-12 ever tried a cigarette and 4 % were current cigarette smokers, those numbers for WP were 9 and 3 % for ever tried and current use, respectively [17]. However, emerging evidence in some subpopulations, including medical students and athletes showed that the prevalence of WP smoking has surpassed cigarettes smoking [26,32]. Nonetheless what is worrisome in the case of WP is the trend.…”

“…WP use poses many challenges for the tobacco control community, including the potential that it may become a gateway to other forms of tobacco/drug use and a cause of relapse for cigarette smokers who had previously quit [3,10,20]. In some sub-populations in Canada and the US, WP use surpasses cigarettes use [9,32]. Few measures are in place to deal with WP smoking.…”

“…Few measures are in place to deal with WP smoking. Our recent work suggests that even among highly educated individuals, who are undergoing undergraduate medical training, knowledge of the potential adverse health effects of WP smoking is limited [32].…”

Self-reported Oral Health Behaviour among Scandinavian and Polish Medical Students Studying in Poland

“…Moreover, smoking can present significant risk factors for dental caries (24). The overall prevalence of smoking rate among medical students in other countries was lower and ranged from 3.3% in Canada to 19.3% in Turkey (25,26). The implementation of a tobacco curriculum and smok- ing cessation counselling for medical students would probably reduce the number of smokers and would be effective in preventing smoking initiation.…”

Smoking Cessation Education and Training in U.K. Medical Schools: A National Survey

“…5,[11][12][13] A recent survey of German medical schools revealed that lectures are the predominant teaching method 14 when a more practical approach to teaching seems more appropriate for students to learn how to deliver VBA. 15 The fact that knowledge and skills related to counseling and pharmacotherapy are addressed in summative assessments in only half of all medical schools is of some concern as it has been shown that teaching itself is much less effective than reinforcing student learning behavior by including relevant content in end-of-course examinations.…”