O hábito de fumar e o grau de dependência à nicotina em discentes de enfermagem

Introduction: Smoking is considered the most important public health problem and the leading cause of preventable death. Proposition: To identify the prevalence of smoking and its characteristics among nursing students from the University Center of Lins ( Unilins), and to evaluate the degree of nicotine dependence of smokers through the Fagerstrom test. Materials and methods: A sectional study of a random sample of 69 students answered an individual and confidential pre-coded questionnaire after signing the Informed Consent Form (ICF ). The smoking-related questions were divided into three domains , targeted at regular and occasional smokers , former smokers, and nonsmokers . Results: Most respondents were females ( 81.2%) with a mean age of 23 years. There was a smoking prevalence of 7.2 %, with a smoking onset age ranging between 12 and 21 years. There was a total predominance of females ( 100.0%), with an average consumption of two to five cigarettes per day and addiction time around nine years . Eighty-six point seven percent (86.7%) of nonsmokers feel uncomfortable when a smoker lights a cigarette in the same environment . Willpower was mentioned by former smokers as the main reason to overcome addiction ; however, only 20 % of them seek to avoid environments where smokers are present . About 80 % of the smokers in this study have already tried to quit the habit , but without success, and 60 % said that smoking does harm them, but they continue to smoke . Regarding Anti-Smoking Law , 88.3 % of respondents said it is important and generally praised it. Most smokers ( 60.0%) had a degree of nicotine dependence. C onclusion: The prevalence of s moking was low ( 7.2%) when compared with other similar studies. It is suggested the development of measures to raise awareness about the smoking practice so as to prevent it in this population , especially among women.