KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SMOKING IN MEDICAL-STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER A TOBACCO SEMINAR

A 3-hour seminar on tobacco was introduced to second year (pre-clinica l) medical students in Hong Kong in 1994. The differences in knowledge and attitudes were measured by a self-administered and anonymous ques tionnaire with 14 items before the seminar (n = 145), and again 2 week s after the seminar (n = 151). The students also completed an evaluati on form at the end of the seminar. Before the seminar, the students we re most deficient in their knowledge on the exact magnitude of the ris ks from smoking and on the risks from smoking relative to the risks fr om air pollution and asbestos. After the seminar, their knowledge incr eased significantly (P < 0.005). As for attitudes, in the pre-test 35% strongly agreed that tobacco advertising should be completely banned, and 50% did so in the post-test (P = 0.02). The corresponding figures for banning of all forms of tobacco promotion were 26% and 43% (P < 0 .005). In the pre-test, one in four students strongly disagreed that d octor's advice to their patients to stop smoking is totally ineffectiv e, with this proportion increasing to 70% in the post-test (P < 0.005) . The majority of the students stated that the seminar was useful. The preclinical medical curriculum should, at the very least, include a t obacco seminar. Our survey shows that it is effective in improving stu dents' knowledge and attitudes on tobacco control.