Third-hand Smoke Perception and Awareness among Medical Students: A Survey Study

Abstract

Objective Third-hand smoke, which is harmful to health, is poorly known in community. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of medical students about third-hand smoking and to raise awareness. Methods Students enrolled in the medical programs of the Faculty of Medicine in the academic year 2022–2023 were contacted by an online Google survey method and asked to answer the survey questions. The survey questions included questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the Beliefs about Third-Hand Smoke Scale. Results The median age of the 351 students who voluntarily participated in the study was 20.0 (IQR = 2.0) years, 55.3% were female and 16% were smokers. The mean score of the answers given by the participants to the scale questions asking their level of knowledge about third-hand smoke was 35.3 ± 5.9. The least known question was "Cigarette smoke particles can stay in a room for weeks". The most frequently answered question was "Breathing the air in a room where people smoked yesterday can damage the health of babies and children". Scale scores were significantly higher for participants who did not have smokers living in their home, did not allow smoking in their home, and said they had information about third-hand smoking. Conclusion Medical students had sufficient knowledge and awareness about third-hand smoking. Third-hand smoke should be included in training to increase the knowledge and awareness of medical students as part of preventive medicine practices.