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Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking is a significant public health concern worldwide. Smoking has harmful effects on human organs; regrettably, it continues to lead to the loss of lives among many adults and young people. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of smoking among university students in Sudan
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was performed among university students in Sudan. The data were collected using an online questionnaire survey, data were collected from 480 randomly chosen students.
RESULTS:
A total of 480 university students randomly recruited from 7 medical colleges participated in the study. The rate of smoking among university students revealed that a greater prevalence of smoking in females (n=300) 42.5% than males (n=180) 37.5%
The distribution of students across levels of study indicated that most of them are in the fifth year at 22.92 % (n=110), while a relatively high percentage of 18.75% (n=90) are in the sixth year. In comparison to the specialties, the most common was Medicine which had a representation rate of 37.5% (n=180).
The participants had a mean age of 21 years (SD = 3). From all subjects 20.83% (n=100) identified themselves as smokers and 79.17% (n=380) as non-smokers.
Regarding the factors associated with cigarettes, the majority of students (n = 460 (95.83%) were aware of the adverse effects of active smoking, and n = 20 (4.17%) were unaware. 34.00% (n=162) reported leisure time as a factor increasing tobacco consumption, and 4.17% (n=20) reported that the period of exam is a period increasing tobacco consumption.
As presented the associations of factors associated with cigarette smoking. The prevalence of smoking varied markedly among demographic groups; females were more likely to be current smokers (n = 140) or ex-smokers (n = 40) compared to males (n = 100; no ex-smokers), and this association was statistically significant (p = 0.03). According to the level of study, the majority of smokers were fifth-year students (n=60). Most commonly ex-smokers among first-year students (n=20) and internship (n=20) students. While there were no statistically significant associations with specialty (p=0.09), Medicine students showed the majority of smokers (n=100), followed by Physical Therapy students (n=50).
CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that the smoking prevalence among university female students and students across levels of study is significantly high. It highlights the necessity for effective educational initiatives to combat smoking and underscores the importance of identifying key factors that should be considered when developing successful anti-smoking programs.