Smoking patterns, stances and awareness regarding anti-smoking legislation of medical students in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Abstract

Globally every year cigarette smoking is known as universal and preventable cause of mortalities and morbidities among young people and students. In developing countries like Bangladesh the use of cigarette is increasing day by day. As students are very important segment of the society they should be educated with the consequences of smoking cigarette. A descriptive cross-sectional survey on 280 medical students of a selected medical college was carried out to determine their smoking patterns, stances and awareness regarding anti-smoking legislation in Dhaka city. The study was commenced from July to December, 2014. The frequency of smoking in the study was 63.2% and it was highest among final year students. More than fifty percent students smoked 1 to 5 sticks per day. Comprehensive plan with proper instructions and measures should be developed to educate healthcare providers regarding smoking hazards and provide counseling to large number of general public. Specific training and counseling should be a part of the required curriculum at medical schools to address these issues.