A research led by the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the University of Barcelona (UB) has highlighted the need for early implementation of tobacco prevention and cessation strategies among nursing students in Catalonia, given their essential role in tobacco control and health promotion in their future careers as nurses.
The study, co-funded by the Nursing Council of Catalonia and published in Tobacco Induced Diseases, analyses changes in the use of tobacco products among a total of 276 nursing students who smoked over a three-year period. The results show that more than 36% of the occasional smokers switched to daily smoking, while 12.1% of the daily smokers switched to occasional smoking at follow-up. Of the total smokers surveyed, about 61% reduced their cigarette consumption during follow-up and more than 28% quit smoking. Among exclusive cigarette users, 14.2% switched to two or more products (polydrug use) and 48.4% of polydrug users switched to exclusive cigarette use.
These findings suggest that tobacco use is in constant change in this population, as in other young populations, and highlight the urgent need to implement strategies to reduce the use of conventional and novel tobacco products on university campuses, especially in the early years before smoking behaviour is established. This is particularly important in a group that will play an exemplary role in the future.