ATTITUDES OF SMOKING AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SUBSTANCES IN CIGARETTE SMOKE IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Smoking is a worldwide problem causing significant mortality. Due to the complications occurring later in life giving up is not intended for many users. Media, environment, family, friends, and cultural factors are effective in the onset and prolongation of this habit. In this study we aimed to determine the knowledge level of 188 students of the Institute of Health Sciences who gave informed consent and participated in the study. We gathered data with a questionnaire form and asked questions related to the diseases proven to be caused by smoking and the substances in the cigarette smoke. We used the Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Test to evaluate the nicotine dependence status of smoking students. The mean age of the students was 20.49 +/- 1.19 and the number of females was 144 (76.6%). The mean age of onset of smoking and alcohol consumption was 17.04 +/- 2.13 and 17.06 +/- 2.34, respectively. Overall rate of smoking was 11.7% (n = 22) and in females and males 7.6 and 25.0%, respectively (p < 0.003). It was concluded that the smoking rate in students of the Institute of Health Sciences is high, particularly in male students. The knowledge of substances in cigarette smoke did not affect the smoking pattern of students.