Smoking Prevalence and Knowledge about Its Health Implications among Health Care Professional Students in Ekiti State, South-Western Nigeria

Aims: This study examined smoking prevalence and knowledge about its health implications among health care professional students in Ekiti State, South-Western Nigeria.

Theoretical Framework: The Precede-Proceed Model was the theoretical framework for the study.

Methodology: The research design for the study was quantitative. The sample size was determined using the rule of thumb. Simple random sampling technique was used in choosing the participants and sampling techniques was purposive and convenience. Self-developed questionnaire was the instrument used for data gathering. Data from the study was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings revealed that 21.6% of the participants have ever smoked cigarette and the majority (77.3%) smoked daily while 89.7% of the participants indicated that they smoked less than 10 cigarettes stick a day and 6.9% smoked more than 30 sticks daily. One-third (34.4%) of the participants commenced smoking between the age of 18 to 21 years while 27.6% between age 16 to 17 years. Almost half (45.2%) of the participants were introduced to cigarette smoking by their peers. The majority (55.0%) of the participants took their cigarette from friends while 35.0% normally bought from the shops. Almost all (99.1%) of the participants were aware of the health risks that are associated with cigarette smoking, almost all (99.1%) and 81.8% of the participants indicated lung cancer while the remaining 18.2% highlighted cancer of the bladder. Also, 93.6% indicated that there was no tobacco treatment centre in their institution.

Conclusion: The study recommended that Nurses and Midwives should ensure that comprehensive individual and group education is done in the clinics and during school health visits, to increase adolescents’ knowledge regarding the health effect of cigarette smoking.