Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS)

Fotolia

Numerous studies have illustrated that even brief and simple advice from health professionals can substantially increase smoking cessation rates.

In 2005, the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) therefore developed the first survey that collected information on health profession students (e.g. medical, nursing, dental and pharmacy) cross-nationally using a consistent methodology.

Common regional themes

  • Female health profession students have higher tobacco use than females in the general population
  • Female health profession students have higher tobacco use than male health profession students
  • Majority of health professions students recognize themselves as role models, but large proportion are current smokers
  • Large gap between those health profession students that believe they should receive formal training and those that actually do
  • Nursing and Dentistry students generally receive more formal training on tobacco than Medicine and Pharmacy