title: Tobacco smoking habits among nursing students and the influence of family and peer smoking behaviour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper is a report of a study assessing tobacco smoking habits among nursing students and how these are influenced by family members and peers.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Tobacco smoking among nursing students is a serious problem because of the public role model of these future healthcare professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The smoking attitude of nursing students attending the 3 year full-time course at the University of Milan in the academic years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 was investigated. A total of 820 students filled in the self-administered questionnaire and 812 valid questionnaires were returned. The response rate was 87%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four percent of the 812 students were tobacco smokers and 7% former smokers. Among the smoking students 75% had at least one smoking parent, 47% had at least one smoking brother or sister and 87% saw smoking friends.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an urgent need to implement effective anti-smoking measures among nursing students. Decreasing the number of smokers among healthcare professionals would discourage people from smoking and would increase the credibility of anti-smoking campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health-Microbiology-Virology, School of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biraghi
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tortorano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult