| Summary: | Introduction
Background
This study focuses on involving medical students and medical doctors from Faculty of Medicine from Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP) of Cluj-Napoca, Romania in tobacco control before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, giving a special attention to national and international cooperation with several academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Material and Methods
This is a narrative review based on data from literature, short information available online as well as information regarding training, research activities and projects, health promotion programs collected by the authors during their activity in this field.
Results
The study is covering several areas. First, it identify data regarding knowledge, attitudes and behavior of medical students regarding smoking, electronic cigarettes and tobacco products use as well as the role medical profession should play in tobacco control, looking to possible influences of the Covid-19 pandemic . Second it pays attention to information and training received by medical students in the field of tobacco control during their medical studies. Third, it presents several research and health promotion projects developed by medical undergraduate and PhD students (e.g. graduation thesis, doctoral thesis, participation in different projects) as well as medical doctors from the UMP. Examples include several projects funded by national and European agencies with a strong interdisciplinary and intersectorial approach such as projects for prevention of smoking and use of electronic cigarettes among youth (including the use of blended learning to educate adolescents during Covid-19 pandemic with regard to this), projects for smoking cessation using information and communication technology, assessment and counseling for smoking cessation as part of screening activities for cardio-vascular risk factors, projects which try to understand the influences of different factors, including smoking, on Covid-19 patients.
Conclusions
The study is mapping the context, challenges as well opportunities faced by one medical faculty with regard to involvement of its students and medical staff in tobacco control, underlining the lessons learned and making recommendations for future activities in this field.
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