Study on prevalence of cigarette smoking among a sample of students of technical institute of Babylon

Objective: To determine the prevalence of smoking among students, and to identify the reasons for smoking.Method: The cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study was conducted from April 1 to May 9, 2019, at theTechnical Institute, Al-Furat University, Babylon, Iraq, and comprised students of either gender who were selectedrandomly. Data was collected through structured interviews using a questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 24.Results: Of the 147 subjects, 115(78.2%) were males and 32(21.8%) females. The largest age group was 19-28 years125(85%), and 115(78.2%) hailed from rural areas. There were 78(53%) smokers; 73(63.5%) from among males and5(15.6%) from among females. The most cited reason for smoking was feeling of enjoyment 40%. Smoking wassignificantly associated with age, gender as well as level and type of education (p<0.05). The association of friendsand family with the smoking habit was significant (p<0.05). Among the smokers, 72(92.3%) were aware of the harmfuleffects of the habit (p<0.05).Conclusion: Cigarette smoking was found to be widespread among the students.Keywords: Smoking, Family, Tobacco, Habits, Masculinity, Students, Smokers.