Knowledge, attitude and practice of smoking vape among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan.

Smoking vape is a growing trend among the next generation, with a current global vaping prevalence rate of 11%. Medical students, who will soon be practicing medicine, are unaware of the consequences of vaping. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical students regarding vaping. <bold>Methodology:</bold> A cross-sectional study. Using an online survey platform, a questionnaire was distributed to medical students. <bold>Result:</bold> A total of 243 medical students responded, with first-year students accounting for the largest percentage and fourth-year students were the lowest (34.6% and 7.4% respectively). At the time of the study, 55.6% of the participants admitted to smoking vape, and of those, 70.9% are not ready to quit within the next six months. 80.2% of the respondents felt vaping causes lung diseases (P-value 0.008). When medical students' understanding of the risks associated with vape smoke exposure was evaluated, 16.9% of the students denied it, while 39.1% were unsure (P-value <0.001). In contrast, 50.6% of students agreed that maternal vaping raises the risk of respiratory infections and cardiovascular defects in offsprings (P-value 0.004). When policies were discussed, significant results were found (p-value <0.001 each), with 69.5% of students believing health warnings should be placed on vape and flavour packaging, and 48.1% agreeing on a ban on vape and flavour product advertisement. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Medical students have a lack of understanding about vaping and its associated health risks. All medical schools should take a more focused approach to raising awareness about the health risks of vaping, along with making amends to the policies.