Prevalence of Smoking Among Health Science Students in the United Arab Emirates

Introduction  In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), tobacco consumption has increased markedly in recent years, as rapid economic and social changes have led to a rise in the popularity of tobacco use. Since healthcare workers are on the front lines in combating tobacco use and abuse, it is vital that aspiring health science students are aware that their own smoking status can be an important determinant of their ability to help patients control tobacco use. Aim  The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of smoking among health science students in the UAE. Methods  A cross-sectional study was conducted among health science students aged 18 years and older from multiple universities across the UAE between February and June 2023. Participants were recruited using convenience snowball sampling through university networks and social media platforms. Data were collected using a structured bilingual (English/Arabic) online questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, smoking behavior, factors influencing smoking initiation, awareness of smoking-related harms, and nicotine dependence. Nicotine dependence among current smokers was measured using the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Results  A total of 406 students participated (31.8% male, 68.2% female). The overall smoking prevalence was 20.4%, including 15.0% current smokers and 5.4% ex-smokers. Smoking prevalence was significantly higher among males compared to females (32.6% vs 14.8%, p = 0.011). The most commonly reported reasons for smoking were stress (43.4%) and pleasure (32.5%). Male smokers demonstrated significantly higher nicotine dependence scores compared to females (p < 0.001). Additionally, smokers using multiple tobacco products had significantly higher FTND scores (p = 0.030). While general awareness of smoking-related health risks was high, gaps and misconceptions were identified. Conclusion  Intervention strategies targeting stress management among health science students may be beneficial; however, causal relationships cannot be established due to the cross-sectional design. Nationwide studies are required to obtain findings that are more generalizable to the population.