title: Smoking-Related Attitudes and Knowledge Among Medical Students and Recent Graduates in Argentina: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physicians in Argentina smoke at rates similar to the general population, and do not have a clear role in tobacco control strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the attitudes and knowledge of medical students and recent graduates towards smoking behavior in Argentina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional self-administered online survey conducted in 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical students and recent medical graduates from the University of Buenos Aires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Attitudes and knowledge were evaluated by responses to 16 statements regarding the effects of smoking cigarettes and the role of physicians in tobacco control. Rates of agreement with a full ban on indoor smoking in different public settings were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample included 1659 participants (response rate: 35.1 %), 453 of whom (27.3 %) were current smokers. Only 52 % of participants agreed that doctors should set an example for their patients by not smoking, 30.9 % thought that medical advice had little effect on patients' cessation behavior, and 19.4 % believed that physicians could decline to care for smoking patients who failed to quit. In adjusted logistic regression models, current smokers had less supportive attitudes about tobacco control and were less likely than non-smokers to agree with a full indoor smoking ban in hospitals (OR: 0.30; 95 % CI 0.16-0.58), universities (OR: 0.55; 95 % CI 0.41-0.73), workplaces (OR: 0.67; 95 % CI 0.50-0.88), restaurants (OR: 0.42; 95 % CI 0.33-0.53), cafes (OR: 0.41; 95 % CI 0.33-0.51), nightclubs (OR: 0.32; 95 % CI 0.25-0.40), and bars (0.35; 95 % CI 0.28-0.45). Recent medical graduates had more accurate knowledge about cessation and were more likely to agree with a full smoking ban in recreational venues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most participants reported a strong anti-tobacco attitude, a proportion still failed to recognize the importance of their role as physicians in tobacco control strategies. Current smokers and current students were less likely to support indoor smoking bans. Specific educational curricula could address these factors.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: M Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Salgado
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Raúl M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mejía
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, Department of Medicine, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Celia P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, Department of Medicine, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. eliseo.perez-stable@nih.gov.|National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. eliseo.perez-stable@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Eliseo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Pérez-Stable
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Latin America; attitudes; medical students; smoking