Adoption of smoking preventive behaviors and its related factors among dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran - 2016

One of the priorities of public health to reduce smoking is to prevent young people from smoking. Considering the role of the model of medical students in the society and due to the increasing smoking among them, the aim of this study was to assess the adoption of smoking preventive behaviors and its related factors among university students.

In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study, 355 dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, were selected by single-stage cluster sampling method and entered the study, in 2016. Data were collected using a questionnaire including demographic and background information and a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire for measuring the adoption of smoking preventive behaviors. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and descriptive statistics, independent t-test and ANOVA. All stages of the study were conducted according to moral standards.

The mean (standard deviation) score of smoking preventive behaviors adoption was 39.01(19.96) out of 100 demonstrating a weak level. The adoption of smoking preventive behavior were significantly related with gender, having smokers' friends, having a smoker in the family, father's education level and smoking variables (P<0.05).

Due to the low mean score of adoption of smoking preventive behaviors among university students, it is necessary to carry out necessary education regarding smoking prevention among them.