Smoking Prevalence, Attitudes and Behavior among Dental Students in Poland and Italy

Ewa Rodakowska, Marta Mazur, Joanna Baginska, Teresa Sierpinska, Giuseppe La Torre, Livia Ottolenghi, Valeria D'Egidio and Fabrizio Guerra
Additional contact information
Ewa Rodakowska: Department of Clinical Dentistry-Cariology, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
Marta Mazur: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Joanna Baginska: Department of Dentistry Propaedeutics, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-295 Białystok, Poland
Teresa Sierpinska: Department of Prosthodontics, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-296 Białystok, Poland
Giuseppe La Torre: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Livia Ottolenghi: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Valeria D'Egidio: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Fabrizio Guerra: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: The aim of the study was to perform preliminary research to compare the smoking prevalence, attitudes and behavior between dentistry students in two universities in Europe using the standardized Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. This was cross-sectional carried out among dentistry students from the Medical University in Bialystok, Poland and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. There were 582 participants; 282 were Italians, 202 were smokers and 42% were Italians. The response rate was 79.9% of Italian students and 79.6% of Polish students. The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher among Italian students (42% vs. 28.0%). Attitudes and behaviour of smokers and non-smokers differed statistically. Polish and Italian dental students presented statistically different behavior regarding the time to smoke the first cigarette, the willingness to stop smoking and trying to stop smoking in the last year. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two independent variables, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places (OR = 3.26 and OR = 5.9, respectively), showed a significantly higher occurrence of smoking. There is a high use of tobacco among dental students, which is particularly high in Italian dental students. Students realizes the positive perception of their own tobacco counsellor role in a dental setting. Dental students should be role models to their peers and patients.

Keywords: Global Health Professions Student Survey; GHPSS; smoking; dental students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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