Smoking among medical and engineering students

A cross-sectional survey, using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, was conducted among 364 medical and engineering students in their first and later years of study. The study compared knowledge, attitudes towards smoking, and smoking practices between the faculties and between the years. The prevalence of current smoking was 24.1%. It was similar in each faculty and in every year, despite greater knowledge on the adverse health effects of smoking among students in the higher years in the faculty of medicine. Greater knowledge of the risks of smoking is not sufficient to bring about a reduction in smoking habits.