[Smoking habits among medical students in Târgu Mures]

Introduction: Smoking is a major problem worldwide, especially among students. Smoking is one of the most dangerous social phenomena and has a significant impact on public health. Even though students with medical knowledge are expected to play a preventive role, the prevalence of smoking among them is significant. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the smoking habits, knowledge and attitudes of medical students in Târgu Mureș, comparing them with national and global statistical data. Material and method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mureș between January and March 2025 using an anonymous, online questionnaire. IBM-SPSS v. 23 software was used for statistical calculations. Significant difference was considered at p<0.05. Results: From a total of 226 students, the prevalence of smoking was 39.38%. 21.2% of them reported smoking daily, and 4 students smoked more than one pack per day. 61.1% of students tried electronic cigarettes. The main motivation for trying them was curiosity (41.2%), but stress management (11.1%) and peer pressure (11.1%) also played an important role (p<0.001). The first time they tried a tobacco product was mostly (35.8%) between the ages of 15 and 18 years, but 13.3% tried it before the age of 15 years. 83.6% of students are aware of the role of nicotine in causing addiction. The health risks of smoking (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases) were recognized by 90.7% of students. A quarter of students are aware of the EVALI (electronic cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury) phenomenon. 65.5% of the students did not participate in a prevention program, and 67.3% obtain information about smoking from the Internet. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among students is worrying, especially because they will be our future doctors. There is a need to launch plans to reduce smoking among students, which can be incorporated into courses and special programs. The results obtained show that, despite numerous campaigns, a significant proportion of medical students don’t receive reliable information about smoking. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(38): 1496–1506.