Student Nurses’ Exposure to Passive Smoking at a Community in Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

T

he prevalence of passive smoking is becoming a concern. The aim of this study is to determine the proportion of respondents that are passive smokers.

A descriptive study was conducted among student nurses living at a community in Eastern Nigeria. A total of 160 student Nurses were selected using accidental sampling method. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire. The study protocol was reviewed and approved before the actual study. A total of 160 student nurses completed the questionnaire while all (100%) administered copies were suitable for analysis. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze data.

Findings from the study revealed that 62% of the respondents live around passive smokers, 43.1% inhale smoke from cigarette while 70% were of the opinion that passive smoking aggravates health status of patients.

In conclusion, smoking ban should be effectively enforced by the government and its agencies in order to maintain a healthy society and nation.