Relationship between religiosity and smoking among undergraduate health sciences students
Edson Zangiacomi Martinez1, Carolina Cunha Bueno-Silva1, Isabela Mirandola Bartolomeu1
1Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
Introduction:
The university period is often characterized as a critical period of vulnerability for smoking habit initiation.
Objective:
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between religiosity and smoking among undergraduate students on health sciences courses.
Methods:
A total of 336 students on four health sciences courses (occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition, and physiotherapy) completed a cigarette smoking questionnaire along with the Duke University Religion Index.
Results:
Smoking prevalence was 8.3% among females and 12.7% among males. Prevalence among students who do not have a religion, but do believe in God, was higher than among those who do have a religion (16.3 and 6.3%, respectively). Organizational religious activity has a significant effect on smoking status.
Conclusion:
The students have health habits that are not only motivated by the technical knowledge acquired on their undergraduate courses, since there was a possible influence of social norms stimulated by religious institutions on their attitudes, knowledge and practices in health.
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