Preparedness for the Smoking Cessation Role among Health Sciences Students in Kuwait

Objective: Our aim was to assess students’ preparedness for the smoking cessation role after a teaching module on tobacco cessation and to assess the relationship between smoking status and preparedness. Methods: Pharmacy students attended a 4-hour module on the role of health professionals in smoking cessation based on the Rx for Change training program. Two years after the first introduction of the module, a questionnaire on preparedness and smoking status was filled in by 64 pharmacy students who had attended the module and 243 students from other health sciences that had not been exposed to the module. Results: Preparedness scores for the smoking cessation role for pharmacy students were significantly higher (mean = 19.5, n = 63) for the nonsmoking pharmacy students compared to other nonsmoking students in medicine (mean = 16.2, n = 149), dentistry (mean = 16.1, n = 40) and physical therapy (mean = 14.9, n = 16) (p = 0.009). The smoking prevalence was 3% among all females and 31% among all males. Smoking students were significantly less likely (p = 0.031) to agree that it is their professional responsibility to help patients quit smoking. Conclusion: Significant and long-lasting differences in students’ perception of preparedness for the smoking cessation role Received: February 9, 2010 Accepted: June 14, 2010 Dr. Mohammad Waheedi Faculty of Pharmacy Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University PO Box 24923, Safat 13110 (Kuwait) Tel. +965 2498 6852, Fax +965 2498 6840, E-Mail m.waheedi @ ku.edu.kw © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel 1011–7571/11/0203–0237$38.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/mpp D ow nl oa de d by : 54 .7 0. 40 .1 1 11 /1 9/ 20 17 1 2: 27 :1 7 P M