Nicotine Dependence and Smoking Habits of Hungarian Police Cadets

Aim: Smoking is one of the most significant health risk factors. Some studies have shown that the prevalence of smoking is higher in some professions (e.g. police personnal) than in the general population. The aim of the research presented in this study is to investigate the smoking habits and nicotine dependence of Hungarian trainee police officers (so-called police cadets). Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted among Hungarian police cadets. The study sample (N=270) consisted of 57.4% male (n=155) and 42.6% female (n=115). Average age of cadets 21.8 years (±0.26 years, CI: 95%). The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was used to measure nicotine dependence among police cadets. Findings: Lifetime prevalence of smoking is 77.0% among police cadets. Females were more likely than males to have tried smoking, but the difference was not significant. (81.7% vs. 73.6%; χ²(1) = 2.50, p = 0.11, φ = 0.1). Current smoking prevalence was 35.6%, and regular (daily) smoking was 14.8%. Daily smokers scored an average of 2.57 (SD = 1.87) on the FTND scale. The average score for males was 2.6 (SD = 1.82) and for females was 2.5 (SD = 2.03), there was no significant difference (t(27) = 0.10, p = 0.91). The majority of police cadets who smoke regularly (85.0%) have very low or low nicotine dependence.