title: Role of family and peers in the initiation and continuation of smoking behavior of future physicians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Globally researchers have long back noted that the trend of substance use was on the rise particularly in the student population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find out the prevalence and determinants of smoking practices among undergraduate medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical (MBBS) students of a tertiary care medical college using a predesigned and pretested semi-structured self-administered anonymous questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 182 participants, 55 (30%) were smokers; 85.45% were regular smokers; majority in the age group 20-22 years (70%); mostly males (98%). No significant difference was observed among urban and rural students, and religion had no association. The practice of smoking for last 6 months to 1 year was in 43.6% and 40% smoked less than 6 months. Half of them (50.9%) smoked 5-9 cigarettes per day. Peer pressure was significantly high in smokers (83.6%); 42% had other addictions. The effect of parental smoking on smoking habits of the participants was quite evident among smokers (82%), which was significantly higher than nonsmokers (χ(2) = 63.49, P < 0.05). Peer pressure was the most important risk factor (57.69%) of initiation of smoking habit followed by parental influence (16.49%). Among morbidities of smokers, 60.6% were suffering from regular cough, 6% from bronchitis, and 2% had asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our survey conducted on budding doctors surprisingly showed that undergraduate medical students smoke so much.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER and SSKM (PG) Hospital, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Mausumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: Palash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Sukumar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.forename: Srijit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Ranabir
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Subrata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bagchi