A study reveals the percentage of smoking doctors at Aleppo University.

A recent research study conducted by doctors at the Faculty of Medicine at Aleppo University revealed the prevalence of smoking and its patterns among resident doctors at Aleppo University Hospital, where more than 22% of them are smokers, which is a high percentage among doctors, considering smoking as a major public health concern.

The cross-sectional study, carried out by three young doctors under the supervision of Dr. Abdullah Khouri, a pulmonologist at Aleppo University Hospital and the former hospital director and dean of the Faculty of Medicine, recruited 294 resident doctors through a self-administered questionnaire between October 2023 and January 2024. The questionnaire assessed smoking habits, demographics, and potential factors associated with smoking. The data were analyzed accordingly, along with odds ratios.

The smoking prevalence rate, according to the study published in "Springer" journal, which is part of the global publishing house "Springer Nature" serving and supporting the scientific research community with over 3000 online journals, was 22.1%.

The study also indicated that waterpipe smoking was the most common at a rate of 72.3%, followed by cigarettes at 49.2% and e-cigarettes at 15.4%.

The study further revealed that male doctors were significantly more prone to smoking than females (39.5% vs. 10.3%). Smoking prevalence was associated with surgical specialization, higher stress levels, longer working hours, and lower personal satisfaction. It was mentioned that 41.5% of non-smokers were exposed to passive smoking, especially at home (63.2%).

The study highlighted the need for multifaceted interventions to address smoking behaviors, including stress management techniques and restrictions on exposure to passive smoking, by targeting smoking cessation among role models.

Global studies have indicated the presence of approximately 1.07 billion smokers worldwide, including 908 million males and 162 million females, with the majority from low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of waterpipe and e-cigarette smoking among adults worldwide has increased in recent years, although cigarettes remain the most common form of tobacco consumption. The past decade has witnessed a growing awareness of the health risks associated with tobacco use, leading to intense global and local initiatives to combat it, resulting in decreased societal acceptance of tobacco.

Source: Al-Watan