Imran Saeed Ali, Rizwana Shahid.
Cigarette smoking and consumption of psychotropic drugs among medical students of Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi.
Pak J Med Res Jan ;54(4):121-3.

Objective: To evaluate practice of cigarette smoking and use of psychotropic drugs among medical students of Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi. Study design, settings and duration: Descriptive cross sectional was done at Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi during June 2010. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among all medical students Rawalpindi Medical College who were present in various classes during June 2010. Informed consent was taken from all students and data gathered through self-administered questionnaire. Information gathered included consumption of psychotropic drugs, initial mode of getting cigarettes, place of smoking, age of initiation of smoking on regular basis, number of cigarettes smoked per day, cessation of smoking and past smoking history. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 975 students agreed to fill the questionnaire and returned it. Out of them, 815 students denied the consumption of any such drug. No response was received from 86 students while 74 (7.6%) were using psychotic drugs which included various stimulants (31) and sedatives and hypnotics (43). There were 234 (24%) cigarette smokers whose mean age of initiation of smoking on regular basis was 19.5 years. The place of buying cigarette was either shops or street vendors (21%). Almost 42.7% medical students smoked cigarette in the medical college while 23.1% smoked in public places, 8.9% at friend’s house and 8.1%, in social events. Most (48.7%) medical students had tried at least one cigarette in the medical college to see its effect. There were 98 current smokers (84 males and 14 females) out of whom 50 (21.3%) were current daily smokers. Of the total 234 smokers, 46.1% were not willing to quit smoking within next 6 months. Conclusion: In the medical college 24% students were smokers and 7.6% were using psychotropic drugs. Almost 46% students were not willing to quit smoking in near future. Policy message: Regular medical checkups are needed in medical students for their indulgence in addictions like tobacco use and psychotropic drugs. Once convinced and practicing, they can better guide their patients and populations coming to them for various health issues.

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