Tobacco Use and Cessation Counseling—Global Health Professionals Survey Pilot Study, 10 Countries, 2005

May 27, 2005 / Vol. 54 / No. 20

MMWR Highlights

• Current cigarette smoking is projected to cause nearly 450 million deaths worldwide during the next 50 years.
• The rate of current cigarette smoking among third-year health profession students was higher than 20% in seven of the 10 countries surveyed.
• Current cigarette smoking among students was most prevalent in Albania, Argentina (Buenos Aires), Bangladesh, Croatia, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Philippines, and the Republic of Serbia (Belgrade). Rates range from 18.1 % (Republic of Serbia [Belgrade] medical students) to 47.1% (Albania pharmacy students).
• Current cigarette smoking among students was the lowest among Ugandan nursing (0.5%) and medical (2.8%) students, Egyptian medical students (7.9%), and Indian dental students (9.6%).
• Male students were significantly more likely than female students to currently smoke cigarettes in Albania, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Philippines, Republic of Serbia (Belgrade) (medical students only), and Uganda. Only among Serbian dental students were females significantly more likely than males to currently smoke cigarettes.
• Students (86.6% to 99.8%) in all four health disciplines and in all 10 countries believed health professionals should advise patients about smoking cessation.
• Most (87% to 99%) third-year dental, medical, nursing, and pharmacy students in the countries surveyed believe they should have a role in counseling patients to quit smoking.
• More than 90% of third-year students (90.3% to 99.0%) in every survey except medical students in Croatia (71.7%) thought health-profession students should receive cessation counseling training as part of their normal curriculum.
• Students who had received formal training in tobacco cessation counseling ranged from 5.2% among medical students in Argentina (Buenos Aires) to 36.6% among pharmacy students in the Philippines.