Prevalência Do Tabagismo Entre Acadêmicos De Medicina De Uma Universidade Do Interior Do Estado De São Paulo

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the prevalence of smokers among medical students. Among the 455 students who answered the questionnaire, the prevalence of smokers was 8.1%, the mean age being 24.9 years and male predominance (64.8%, p=0.0004). The main reasons for smoking initiation were: friends (45.9%), anxiety (32.4%) and stress (18.9%). Predominantly they lived alone (45.9%) and keep social relationwith smokers 83.7% (p<0.0001). Health professionals were considered as "behaviourmodels" for 70% of smokers and non-smokers, however, non-smokers consider it more important to conduct campaigns on the subject (p=0.0183). The mild degree of dependence characterized 89.1% of smokers, according to the Fagerstöm Test. Although 72.9% reported their desire to quit smoking, only 48.6% tried, and unsuccessfully. As a conclusion, smoking prevalence was relatively low compared to national statistics.