Smoking myths: an examination question

Abstract

Introduction: Smoking is one of the main causes of premature death and loss of quality of life related to health.
Objective: The purpose of this work was to explore and evaluate the answers formulated to an exam question in the knowledge acquired in myths about tobacco and its demystification after having taught an Epidemiology and Public Health practice to 344 students of 1st year Degree in Medicine (2019-2020).
Method: It was carried out in a sample of 344 students of the University of Valencia (2019-2020 academic year), who were given a practice in which some of the most popular myths about tobacco that patients frequently consult were made known. In practice, a myth from a manual was chosen, commented on and presented in pairs by free choice of the students and without repeating those already chosen. The question formulated in the exam was about exposing a myth freely and writing the answer that they would give to their patients.
Results: The most widely written group of myths was the one referring to tobacco and health myths, highlighting “quitting smoking makes you fat”. Less than 1% of the students chose the group of myths related to economics.
Conclusions: The results indicate that the knowledge about myths presented to the students can be transferred to the rest of society, making it difficult for health professionals to quit smoking. In addition, the majority of students express concern about health and image issues in relation to tobacco consumption.