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Perceptions of Smoking Behaviours and Habits among University Students in Oman


Affiliations
1 Department of Community Mental Health, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
2 Department of Adult Health Critical Care, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
3 Department of Business and Financial Studies, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
     

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The aim of this paper is to explore smoking behaviours and habits among students at a public University in Oman. An exploratory cross sectional research design was used. 840 students were randomly selected in clusters drawn across nine colleges in the University. A Modified World Health Organization Smoking Behaviours Self-administered Questionnaire was used in 2012. 10.01% of the students smoked, of which 8.69% of the students lived more than 5 years outside homes and had leisure time (8.33%). 14.2% of the students had history of smoking, of which 10.71% have an intention to smoke. There is significant difference in smoking behaviours among male and female, fathers or a family member. Results provide baseline data to develop pro-interventions for smoking awareness and counseling for university students and encourage policy makers to strengthen the policies to curb tobacco products.

Keywords

Smoking Prevalence, Habits, Perceptions, Behaviours, University Students, Reported Smoking, Oman
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  • Perceptions of Smoking Behaviours and Habits among University Students in Oman

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Authors

Samira Maroof
Department of Community Mental Health, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
Melba Sheila D'Souza
Department of Adult Health Critical Care, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
Ramesh Venkatesaperumal
Department of Adult Health Critical Care, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman
Subrahmanya Nairy Karkada
Department of Business and Financial Studies, Higher College of Technology, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman

Abstract


The aim of this paper is to explore smoking behaviours and habits among students at a public University in Oman. An exploratory cross sectional research design was used. 840 students were randomly selected in clusters drawn across nine colleges in the University. A Modified World Health Organization Smoking Behaviours Self-administered Questionnaire was used in 2012. 10.01% of the students smoked, of which 8.69% of the students lived more than 5 years outside homes and had leisure time (8.33%). 14.2% of the students had history of smoking, of which 10.71% have an intention to smoke. There is significant difference in smoking behaviours among male and female, fathers or a family member. Results provide baseline data to develop pro-interventions for smoking awareness and counseling for university students and encourage policy makers to strengthen the policies to curb tobacco products.

Keywords


Smoking Prevalence, Habits, Perceptions, Behaviours, University Students, Reported Smoking, Oman

References