Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption among Health Sciences Students in Cuba and Mexico
INTRODUCTION Smoking and alcohol use (beyond social norms) by health sciences students are behaviors contradictory to the social function they will perform as health promoters in their eventual profes-sions. OBJECTIVE Identify prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in health sciences students in Mexi...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2013 |
| País: | México |
| Institución: | Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo |
| Repositorio: | Redalyc-UMSNH |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:redalyc.org:437542095007 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=437542095007 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Medicina Cuba Mexico Smoking tobacco alcohol |
| Sumario: | INTRODUCTION Smoking and alcohol use (beyond social norms) by health sciences students are behaviors contradictory to the social function they will perform as health promoters in their eventual profes-sions. OBJECTIVE Identify prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in health sciences students in Mexico and Cuba, in order to support educa-tional interventions to promote healthy lifestyles and development of professional competencies to help reduce the harmful impact of these legal drugs in both countries.METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Data were collected from health sciences students on a voluntary basis in both countries using the same anonymous self-administered questionnaire, followed by an in-depth interview. RESULTS Prevalence of tobacco use was 56.4% among Mexican students and 37% among Cuban. It was higher among men in both cases, but substantial levels were observed in women as well. The majority of both groups were regularly exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Prevalence of alcohol use was 76.9% in Mexican students, among whom 44.4% were classifi ed as at-risk users. Preva-lence of alcohol use in Cuban students was 74.1%, with 3.7% classi-fi ed as at risk. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in these health sciences students is cause for concern, with consequences not only for their individual health, but also for their professional effec-tiveness in helping reduce these drugs’ impact in both countries. |
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