Alghamdi F*, Alhazzazi T , Al-Hazmi N, Naguib G, Sindi A And Bukhary S,

ABSTRACT


Introduction: This Study Was Carried Out To Investigate The Impressions And Perceptions Of Non-smoking Students Toward The Habit, How They Feel Toward Attempts To Reduce The Effect Of The Habit In School, And How Loved Ones Who Smoke Affect Their Decision To Start The Habit. Methods: At The King Abdulaziz University Faculty Of Dentistry, Questionnaires Were Distributed For Self-administration To 500 Students (250 Male) Who Were In Their 2nd To 7th Year. Response Rate Was 77.2%. Data Analysis Included Simple Descriptive Statistics In The Form Of Percentages, Frequency Distributions, And Bar Graphs; Statistical Significance Was Determined Using Cross Tabulation.

Results: The Prevalence Of Students Who Never Smoked Was 80.8% (31.1% Of Which Were Male). Of Them, 79.2% Stated They Did Not Feel Pressured To Start The Habit. The Primary Reason For Refusing To Smoke Was Health Reasons (46.8%), And 82.1% Were Very Confident In Stating They Will Never Start Smoking. Of These, Many (75%) Were Aware Of The Effects Of Second-hand Smoke, And Of Those, 88.5% Agreed To A Decisive Reduction In Second-hand Smoke Exposure In The School.

Conclusions: Our Findings Suggest That The Perceptions Of Nonsmokers About Abstaining From The Habit Are More Positive Than Those Of Smokers. Nonsmokers Were More Likely Than Smokers To Be Viewed As Having Good Judgment And Were Affected By The Smoking Habits Of Loved Ones.