Awareness and Beliefs of University Students About Thirdhand Smoke: A Cross-Sectional Study for Health Promotion.

Authors

Bahar Türkmenoğlu, Nuran Güler

Published in

International journal of addiction nursing. Volume 37. Issue 3. Pages E215-E222. Epub Mar 04, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine university students' awareness and beliefs regarding thirdhand smoke.
Conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study, 359 university students participated. Data were collected using the Thirdhand Smoke Awareness Scale and the Thirdhand Smoke Beliefs Scale. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to evaluate the data.
Students demonstrated generally high awareness and belief scores regarding thirdhand smoke (mean awareness score: 4.05 ± 0.70; belief score: 3.97 ± 0.76). Nonsmoking students had significantly higher awareness and belief levels compared with smokers (p < .05). Additionally, students residing in smoke-free environments scored significantly higher on these scales (p < .05). A positive and significant correlation was found between thirdhand smoke awareness and beliefs (p < .05).
Although university students demonstrate high levels of awareness and belief regarding thirdhand smoke, awareness of its environmental persistence remains insufficient and should be further enhanced. It is recommended that educational programs and public health campaigns be expanded to raise awareness on this issue.

PMID:
42734581
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.