Knowledge, attitude and practice of tobacco smoking among health colleges' students at Najran University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of tobacco smoking among health colleges' students at Najran University, and to investigate the students' attitude, practice and knowledge towards smoking and its risks. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Najran University during the month of March 2014. Subjects and Methods: A pre-tested validated questionnaire based on the Global Adult Tobacco Survey was answered by 433 students (226 males and 207 females). Results: The prevalence of current cigarettes smokers was 30.1% for males and 0.5% for females (P Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of initiating on-campus managed tobacco dependence treatment clinics to provide professional help for students to quit smoking. The results of this study can be used as a basis for the development of tobacco education programmes at Najran University and elsewhere.