The forgotten exemplars - smoking among female community-care students

Abstract

WHEN discussion of the exemplar role of health pro fessionals arises, attention is immediately focused on nurses and doctors. But many other professions and occupations are seen by the public as being health-related and provide examples for health behaviour. The small pilot study described in this paper indicates a high prevalence of smoking among students training for various community-care pro fessions. It also shows their dissatisfaction with smoking and with being smokers; their wish to stop smoking; their general lack of success in quitting and their need for help.