Smoking more common among nursing than medical students

Nursing students are more likely to smoke cheap cigarettes and to be more severely nicotine-dependent than medical students, says a study published in the October issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). The study found that four times as many nursing students smoke cigarettes than medical students, and nearly twice as many nursing students are former smokers. The study also found that the smoking rate among medical students has significantly decreased in the last decade and that medical students who do smoke are less nicotine dependent than their nursing counterparts.

"In the current climate of disease prevention and health promotion, smoking behaviors of future physicians and nurses have become increasingly important," said lead author Ashwin A. Patkar, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA. "Physicians and nurses can significantly influence health-related behavior of Cigarettes Store. However, health-care professionals who smoke are at a particular disadvantage when attempting to impact their patients' smoking related diseases and are less likely to positively influence their behavior."

Researchers from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia investigated the smoking habits of medical and nursing students enrolled at the university and examined whether smoking habits changed during the course of education for each group. Medical and nursing students completed anonymous surveys containing questions on graduating class year and demographics, and the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND). Surveys were completed by 397 medical students (212 women and 185 men) and 126 nursing students (105 women and 21 men). Survey results revealed that 13.5 percent of nursing students smoked discount cigarettes, as compared to 3.3 percent of medical students. In addition, 17.4 percent of nursing students and 9.8 percent of medical students considered themselves former smokers. Average smoking rates in the general population are estimated at more than 25 percent, while studies conducted in the 1990s indicated a 15-25 percent smoking rate in nursing students and a 2-10 percent smoking rate in medical students. Of the students who smoked, 89.7 percent of nursing students were women, as compared to 57.6 percent of medical students. Female smokers in both groups had a higher FTND score than male smokers and reported smoking more dute free cigarettes per day, more often, and sooner after waking up in the morning.