Smoking Behaviors and Health Risk Awareness Among Healthcare Students in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia

This study examines smoking behaviors, including the age of initiation, daily consumption, cessation attempts, and awareness of smoking-related health risks among male healthcare professional students in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 308 male students across four healthcare disciplines: Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy. A structured questionnaire collected data on smoking status, initiation age, daily cigarette consumption, reasons for smoking, cessation attempts, and awareness of systemic and oral diseases caused by smoking. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests were used to identify significant differences among disciplines.

The prevalence of smoking varied significantly among the different disciplines, with Pharmacy students having the lowest smoking rate (16.2%) and Dental students the highest (38.5%) (P = 0.005). Most smokers began smoking between the ages of 18-21. The majority of smokers consumed 3-5 cigarettes per day. Awareness of smoking-related systemic diseases, such as lung cancer, was high across all groups, though knowledge of smoking-related oral diseases varied. Attempts to quit smoking were most prevalent among Dental students (66.7%), indicating a significant difference in cessation efforts across disciplines (P = 0.04).

The study highlights significant differences in smoking behaviors and awareness across healthcare disciplines. These findings underscore the critical need for targeted educational interventions to address smoking behaviors and improve health literacy among healthcare professional students. By focusing on discipline-specific approaches, it is possible to enhance the effectiveness of tobacco control programs and promote healthier lifestyles among future healthcare providers.