Investigating the Behavior, Quit Attempts and Attitudes of Smoking Pharmacy Students in the Pharmacy Faculty at Isra University in Jordan

Background: The proportion of smokers in Jordan is one of the largest in the world and ranks number one the Middle East and second worldwide.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the behavior, quit attempts and attitudes among pharmacy students in the pharmacy college at Isra University – Jordan.

Methods: Participants answered a structured questionnaire and were randomly selected from students who smoke who were enrolled at the faculty of pharmacy at Isra University during the academic year of 2017-2018. Students were eligible to participate if they smoked regular cigarettes, or hookah or other types of smoke devices.

Results: Most participants smoke cigarettes (n=82, 71.9%) over hookah. Thirty-seven students (32.5%) of the age group 20-25 have started smoking less than 5 years ago. A total of 72 students (63%) are highly addicted consuming at least one pack of 20 cigarettes or more per day. Most students (87.7%) spend between 50-100 JOD (~$70-141USD) monthly on smoking. Furthermore, 80 students (70.2%) have tried to quit before.

Conclusions: The current study showed a positive attitude toward establishing designated smoking zones. Smokers also stated their eagerness to quit smoking. There is an urgent need to have more awareness campaigns and smoking cessation clinics or counselors on college campuses.