Thirdhand smoke: How aware are patients?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The use of tobacco and tobacco products is one of the biggest public health problems that continue to threaten human health worldwide. Thirdhand smoke (THS) is a new concept that emerges from tobacco use, and there are not enough studies on its effects on human health. Therefore, we aimed to determine the level of awareness of THS and the parameters affecting it in individuals who applied to a chest diseases hospital in Turkiye. METHODS: A total of 400 volunteers who admitted to our hospital between February and March 2022 were literate and accepted to participate in the study were included. Volunteers were given a questionnaire including the demographic characteristics and Baths-T survey, which was used to determine the awareness of THS. RESULTS: Of the 400 participants included in the study, 162 (40.5%) were females, 238 (59.5%) were males, and their mean age was 44.09 +/- 12.75 years. In our study, the mean Baths-T score was 35.1 +/- 6.74. The mean score of persistence and health beliefs was 15.51 +/- 3.54 and 19.58 +/- 3.74, respectively. It was determined that the total and two subdimension scores were statistically significantly higher in women than in men (p=0.019, 0.046, and 0.011). Awareness was statistically significantly lower in smokers and those with low education levels (p=0.001 and 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: We think that the male gender, low education level, and smokers, whose awareness level is low, should be the primary target group in informing about THS.