Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about tobacco use after an educative intervention in health sciences' students

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of a tobacco control course on the improvement of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about smoking among health sciences' students.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study of community intervention carried out during the years 2005-2008, at 2 university health science centres in northwest Spain. A total of 290 students on the intervention and 256 on the control campus took part in the study. The intervention consisted of a course on the prevention and control of tobacco use offered only on the intervention campus. Data were collected before the intervention and 6 months afterwards.

Results: After the course, significant differences between groups were observed in the improvement of knowledge, attitudes and perceived ability to act in tobacco control.

Conclusions: The introduction of training concerning smoking through active methodologies had a positive impact on the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about tobacco of students.