Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Smoking habits in teenagers
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the incidence and the impact of the active smoking and the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the respiratory symptoms, and to evaluate some personality characteristics of smokers in relation of their reasons for smoking.
The inquiry study covers 139 students in medicine (70 women and 69 men), mean age 23.1 ±] 1.4 years. They were asked about their smoking patterns, present tobacco exposure, ETS exposure in childhood and the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms. The reasons for smoking are evaluated by 6-scale questionnaire and the personality traits are studied by the tests of Aisenck, locus control and perceived stress.
Data show that 65.4% of the students are active smokers, with a high prevalence of regular daily smokers – 46.0%. The percentage of chronic respiratory symptoms for active smokers (78.7%) is significantly higher compared with non-smokers (57.8%). The data from the multiple regression analysis point on the great predictive significance of both active and passive smoking for the development of respiratory symptoms and explain about 60% of the dispersion of the quoted symptoms.
Personality traits, such as extroversion, external locus of control and psychotism show a significant correlation with the age of starting smoking and the reason to continue.
The results from this study concerning the prevalence of active and passive smoking among medical students, accompanied by a significant incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms are a basis for development and implementation of adequate personality directed preventive programs for this population.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
A. Manolova, S. Sabeva, M. Tafradjiiska, A. Simidchiev (Sofia, Bulgaria). Smoking behaviour, personality traits and respiratory symptoms in medical students. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 894

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