The prevalence of smoking in male medical students from 16 Chinese medical colleges and the associated factors

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of smoking among Chinese medical students in medical colleges is a matter of significant concern. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of smoking and the associated factors among these students. METHODS: A total of 7,728 students from 16 colleges in 12 provinces were surveyed to measure their smoking behaviors, attitudes toward tobacco control, and knowledge about smoking risk. An evaluation of campus environment and policy was conducted at the same time. Frequencies were calculated using weighted estimators for complex sampling. A two-level logistic regression model was used to assess factors associated with current smoking. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among male medical students in the 16 medical colleges was 12.8%. Students' participation in smoking, smoking initiation after school enrollment, and intention-to-quit-smoking rates may be influenced by their anti-tobacco attitude, the belief that smoking can help to relieve stress, their parents' smoking behaviors, their best friend's attitude towards smoking and second-hand smoke exposure (SHSE), and their awareness of tobacco hazards. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides sufficient evidence to support the implementation of systematic intervention strategies to decrease the smoking rate among male medical students. These strategies may include tobacco control education, smoking cessation technologies, communication, and the enforcement of smoke-free policies to create a tobacco-controlled campus environment.