Assessment of second-hand smoking among princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Smokers destroy their health and the health of people around them through spread the most prevalent indoor environmental exposures which is called secondhand smoking. The objective of this study is the assessment of knowledge, attitude and exposure among students of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University. Methods: A cross-sectional study started in September 2019 to April 2020 among 553 female students. Multistage technique was used to recruit students from health and non-health colleges. Data designed to assess knowledge, attitude, and exposure among female students using the health belief model.Results: The results showed that students were sometimes exposed to secondhand smoking in public places (66.5%), and the higher exposure in all places was among those who live with their parents (52.94%), as for the level of knowledge and attitude, less than half of the students showed a good level.Conclusion: The study revealed that the prevalence of exposure among university students was slightly low. Moreover, the students’ knowledge and attitude is consider to be in the acceptable level.