Smoking

Abstract

To observe the frequency of smoking in female medical students and to determinethe associated factors. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Data was collectedthrough a self-administered questionnaire from female students at Rawal Institute of HealthSciences. Period: February 2015 to August 2015. Methods: Information about demographiccharacteristics, smoking status in family members, number of cigarettes smoked per day,influence for starting smoking and use of sheesha and hash was obtained. Results: A total of100 female students were asked to fill the questionnaires. Response rate was 60%, out of which,52.6 % (31/60) were smokers and 48.4% were non-smokers.6 out of 31 were hash smokersand 20 out of 60 were cigarette smokers, remaining were sheesha smokers. Majority of thesefemales started smoking after 18 years of age, with greatest influence being life style and peerpressure. Our results show substantial trend of smoking in female medical students. Majorityhave smokers in their families but their families were not aware of their smoking habit. Eventhough almost everyone was aware of the associated risks, 24% never tried to quit. Most of thestudents spent Rs 1500 to 3000 per month on smoking.