Smoking Perceptions and Practice among Nursing Students in Kabupaten Kupang, Indonesia

Abstract

Objective: Several studies have offered evidence of the importance of nursing-led interventions in smoking<br />cessation. However, other studies have found that negative perceptions and smoking among nurses were barriers to them<br />providing such interventions. The purpose of this study is to investigate smoking prevalence among nursing students<br />and the demographic predictors of smoking, as well as perceptions about their roles with regard to smoking behaviour.<br />Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted with all nursing students of the<br />Maranatha School of Health Science in Indonesia. Smoking status, individual and familial characteristics including<br />socio-economic status, and smoking cessation-related knowledge and attitudes were examined. Result: From the<br />population of 313 students, 197 (62.9%) completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. The prevalence of<br />current smoking for participants overall (25.9%) and males (52.4%) were similar to general population smoking rates<br />in East Nusa Tenggara Province (25.9% overall and 52% for males) but lower than national rates (39% and 75.2%).<br />However, the smoking rate among female participants (7%) was higher than national (2.9%) and regional (0.8%) female<br />smoking rates. The majority of participants were aware of smoking health-related risk (87.3%) and supportive of giving<br />smoking cessation advice (96.4%). In terms of seeing themselves as role models by not smoking at all, approximately<br />97% non-smokers agreed whereas only 60.8% of smokers agreed. Gender and being supportive of being role models<br />by not smoking at all were significant predictors of the smoking status. Conclusion: This study suggests that smoking<br />prevalence among nursing students is high. Despite most of the students having good smoking-related knowledge and<br />having supportive attitudes towards providing smoking cessation services, high smoking prevalence is known to be an<br />impediment to being effective in delivering cessation services. Personal smoking behaviour among nurses needs to be<br />addressed to encourage critical nursing-led smoking cessation interventions.