Prevalence of smoking and consumption of nicotine-containing products among students of medical and technical universities (PROTECT)

BACKGROUND: The article presents data of the study “Prevalence of smoking and consumption of nicotine-containing products among students of medical and technical universities” (PROTEСT), carried out in 2023 at North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov and Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI) named after V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin). AIM: To study the prevalence and patterns of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, attitudes to smoking behaviour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a random sample of student groups included 1105 respondents. RESULTS: The average age of respondents was 20.7 ± 2.0 years, 44.3% were men. 6.8% of participants smoked cigarettes; more often men than women (9.4 vs. 4.7%, p 0.01). The prevalence of nicotine-containing products consumption was 15.7%. There were no differences by gender (men 15.7% and women 15.8%). The use of a combination of cigarettes and nicotine-containing products was noted by 6.6% of students, which led to increase the tobacco smokers number to 13.4%; and the number of people consuming nicotine-containing products to 22.4%. The main reason for starting smoking/consuming nicotine-containing products was the example of friends (in 35.8 and 34% of cases). The reason for the start of smoking and consuming nicotine-containing products were problems in school and family among 21.1% of women and 6.6% of men (p 0.05), and nicotine-containing products by 16.0% of women and 5.7% of men (p 0.05). The majority of consumers of cigarettes and nicotine-containing products combination (38.4%) use them in a 20/80 ratio. Among the respondents, the proportion of smoking relatives is 40.3%, friends — 66.2%, classmates/dormitory neighbors — 71.9%. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in tobacco smoking and an increase in the proportion of people using nicotine-containing products and their combination with tobacco, as well as the absence of gender differences in nicotine-containing products consumption, indicates a change in the smoking behavior of students and increases the risk of developing nicotine addiction and harmful health consequences. Differences in the motivation for starting smoking/using nicotine-containing product among men and women requires more detailed study.