Tobacco Use Status of Medical Faculty Students and Evaluation of Affecting Factors

The aim of the study is to determine the tobacco use status of first and fifth grade students studying at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine in the 2022-2023 academic year and to evaluate the factors affecting tobacco use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data of the cross-sectional study were obtained by sending a form prepared in electronic environment to the students after a brief information was given in the unit/classroom where they did their internship, and the students responded on their mobile phones. In research, 539 of 790 students answered the form.

The prevalance of tobacco use was 34.1% (first: 29.8%, fifth: 40.8%) (female: 26.7%, male: 40.4%). According to multivariate analysis, tobacco use in first grades increases 1.8 times (95% CI: 1.1-3.3) if the general health perception is moderate/poor, 2.9 times (95% CI: 1.2-6.8) to be exposed to insistence of friends for tobacco use, 2.4 times (95% CI: 1.3-4.3) for at least one of the family members to use tobacco, 29.7 times (95% CI: 3.9-224.1) for at least one of the close friends to use tobacco, and 3.9 times (95% CI: 2.2-7.1) not to think that physicians should set an example for the society by not using tobacco; in fifth grade, tobacco use by at least one of the close friends increases 9.6 times (95% CI: 2.1-43.6), and not thinking that physicians should set an example for the society by not using tobacco increases 4.9 times (95% CI: 2.7-9.2).

In research, it is seen that tobacco use is common among medical faculty students, and the prevalance of use increases as they get higher classes.