Hábitos tabágicos e conhecimento dos riscos do tabagismo em função da formação académica em estudantes universitários

 

Smoking habits and awareness of smoking risks depending on academic background in university students

 

Sandra Saleiro¹

Carla Damas²

Isabel Gomes³

 

Resumo

Objectivo: Avaliar os hábitos tabágicos de um grupo de estudantes universitários dos cursos de Medicina e de Engenharia por forma a verificar se, dependendo da sua formação académica específica, existem diferenças nos hábitos tabágicos e atitudes perante o tabagismo.

Métodos: Estudantes de Medicina e de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto foram avaliados através de um questionário, no qual tiveram de mencionar os  seus hábitos tabágicos, a sua percepção sobre a dependência do tabaco e apontar, de entre uma lista de 12 doenças associadas ao tabagismo, aquelas que estariam relacionadas com o consumo de tabaco.

Resultados: Responderam ao questionário 338 estudantes (172 de Medicina e 166 de Engenharia), com idade mediana de 21 anos. A prevalência do tabagismo foi de 21.6%, sendo maior no sexo masculino que no feminino (31.8% versus 10.9%). Fumavam significativamente menos estudantes de Medicina (16.3%), comparando com os estudantes de Engenharia (27.1%). Quase 16% dos estudantes desconheciam a capacidade da nicotina induzir dependência, mas os estudantes de Medicina estavam mais conscientes deste facto (p=0.00). Todos os estudantes identificaram o cancro do pulmão como estando associado ao consumo de tabaco e salientaram, menos frequentemente, outras doenças. Excepto no caso do cancro do pulmão, os estudantes de Medicina revelaram um melhor conhecimento acerca das doenças relacionadas com o tabaco.

Conclusões: Como esperado, os estudantes de Medicina mostraram, em geral, um melhor conhecimento das doenças relacionadas com o tabaco, comparando com os estudantes de Engenharia, e revelaram igualmente uma prevalência menor de hábitos tabágicos. Esta diferença pode ser devida a diferentes atitudes em relação ao tabaco, para as quais podem contribuir diferentes formações académicas.

Palavras-chave: Hábitos tabágicos, estudantes universitários.

 

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate smoking habits among a group of medical students and engineering students in order to assess whether, depending on their specific academic background, differences in smoking habits and attitudes towards smoking were present.

Methods: Medical and engineering students from the Oporto University were surveyed using a questionnaire, in which they were asked to mention their smoking habits, their perception about cigarette dependence and to point out, from a list of 12 tobacco-related diseases, which were associated with tobacco use.

Results: A total of 338 students (172 of Medicine and 166 of Engineering) with median age of 21 years answered the questionnaire. Prevalence of smoking was 21.6% and was greater among males than females (31.8% versus 10.9%). Significantly fewer medical students smoked (16.3%), compared to engineering students (27.1%). Almost 16% of the students did not know nicotine ability to induce dependence, but medical students were more aware of it (p=0.00). All students identified lung cancer as being associated with tobacco use and pointed out, less frequently, other diseases. Except for lung cancer, medical students showed a better knowledge about smoking-related diseases.

Conclusions: As expected, medical students showed a better knowledge of smoking-related diseases in general, as compared to engineering students, and they also showed a lower prevalence of smoking habits. This difference may be due to different attitudes towards smoking for which different academic backgrounds may have contributed.

Key-words: Smoking habits; university students.

 

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Full text only available in PDF format.

 

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¹ Interna complementar de Pneumologia

² Assistente hospitalar de Pneumologia

³ Assistente hospitalar graduado de Pneumologia

Serviço de Pneumologia, Hospital de São João – Director: Professor Doutor Venceslau Hespanhol

Correspondência/Correspondence to: Sandra Saleiro

Serviço de Pneumologia do Hospital de São João

Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro

4202-451 Porto, Portugal

E-mail: sandrasaleiro@portugalmail.pt

 

Recebido para publicação/Received for publication: 07.09.24

Aceite para publicação/accepted for publication: 07.11.02