Prevalence of cigarette smoking among students of health and technical sciences

Izhodišča in namen: Kajenje je velik javnozdravstveni problem, obenem pa vodilni preprečljivi vzrok smrti na svetu. Obdobje študija je čas, ko študenti lahko začnejo ali nadaljujejo do rednega kajenja. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti razširjenost in dejavnike, ki vplivajo na pojavnost kajenja med študenti zdravstvenih in tehniških ved. Raziskovalna metodologija in metode: Izvedena je bila presečna deskriptivna raziskava. Podatki so bili zbrani s pomočjo anonimnega anketnega vprašalnika med študenti zdravstvenih in tehniških ved, po etični odobritvi. Uporabljeno je bilo namensko vzorčenje po principu snežne kepe. Hipoteze so bile preverjene s pomočjo testa Hi-kvadrat. Rezultati: Od 1534 študentov vključenih v raziskavo je bilo 242 (15,4 %) kadilcev. Srednja vrednost starosti ob začetku kajenja je bila 16 (95 % IZ [1616]) let. Redni kadilci so v povprečju pokadili 10 (95 % IZ [810]) cigaret na dan. Študijsko področje (χ2 = 7,811p = 0,005), kajenje staršev (χ2 = 32,861p < 0,001) in najožjih prijateljev (χ2 = 345,808p < 0,001) so dejavniki, ki so bili statistično značilno povezani s kadilskim statusom študentov, medtem ko spol in uživanje alkohola nista bila statistično pomembna dejavnika kajenja med študenti. Diskusija in zaključek: Čeprav je razširjenost kajenja cigaret med študenti s področja zdravstva nižja v primerjavi s študenti s področja tehnike, je delež kadilcev pri obeh skupinah relativno visok, zato je potrebno še naprej izvajati ustrezne in učinkovite ukrepe za preprečevanje in prenehanje kajenja med študenti.Starting points and purpose: Smoking is a major public health problem, and at the same time, the leading preventable cause of death in the world. The period of study is the time when students can start or resume smoking till they are regular smokers. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and factors that influence the incidence of smoking among students of health and technical sciences. Research methodology and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire among students of health and technical sciences, following ethical approval. Snowball sampling was carried out. The hypotheses were tested by Chi-Square test. Results: Of the 1534 students enrolled in the study, 242 (15.4 %) were smokers. The average age of the students’ start of smoking was 16 (95 % CI [1616]) years. On average, regular smokers smoked 10 (95 % CI [810]) cigarettes a day. The study area (χ2 = 7,811p = 0,005), parents\u27 smoking (χ2 = 32,861p < 0,001) and the closest friends (χ2 = 345,808p < 0,001) are factors that were statistically significant in relation to the smoking status of students, while gender and alcohol consumption were not statistically significant factors of students smoking. Discussion and conclusion: Although the prevalence of cigarette smoking among students of health science is lower compared to students of technical science, the proportion of smokers in both groups is relatively high, therefore, the appropriate and effective measures for preventing and cessation of smoking among students should continue