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 based on exposure to a short teaching module were demonstrated. Furthermore, our results support previous findings that smoking compromises attitude towards helping smokers to quit.

Keywords:
Smoking cessation, Students of health professions, Questionnaires
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel
2011
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.