This cross-sectional study aimed at identifying the prevalence of smoking among students, professors, and administrative technical staff in a nursing school in southern Brazil. The data was collected in 2009 through specific questionnaires given to smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers. The sample constituted of 426 subjects, 21 (5%) smokers, 26 (6.1%) ex-smokers and 376 (88.9%) nonsmokers, which represented 77.5% of the studied population. The prevalence of smokers is among the administrative technical staff, 8 (38.1%); of ex-smokers among professors, 9 (34.6%); and nonsmokers among students, 317 (83.6%), with significant statistical difference (p<0,001). The majority of smokers have lower formal educational levels and very low nicotine dependence (0-2 points). The knowledge of the prevalence of smoking in the institution favors intervention that seeks to prevent and cease the practice of smoking tobacco in health and educational environment.
Smoking; Prevalence; Nursing; Nursing students
