Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1300177
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2020 ing. Malta had to give weight to cli- mate change, said Cacopardo, adding that he expected a budget speech tackling climate-change related issues. He pointed to his party's 2017 proposal for a mor- atorium on the importation of petrol and diesel powered cars, saying that the government had taken this on shortly after the election and has now been waiting for a PWC report on the proposal for over two years. "We can't speak of Paris ac- cord obligations and then make decisions contrary to them," he warned, referring to large-scale road building projects which are currently being undertaken. One of them, the Central Link project, explained Cacopardo, had taken over arable land, af- fecting the livelihoods of several farmers. "The more massive road pro- jects we make the more cars we will have. The investment should be in sustainable trans- port," Cacopardo said. The switch to gas powered power stations was important but so is this, he said. "The size of our island means that the switch to electric cars is important but so is reducing the number of cars." It is possible to work with effi- cient public transport in such a small country, he added. His party had also spoken out against the United States SOFA, Cacopardo said, highlighting the fact that it had ended up be- ing shelved due to public outcry, prompted by AD+PD and the progressive part of the Labour party, he said. The way forward was a diffi- cult one, admitted Cacopardo. "We don't have a red carpet laid out we depend on volunteers… including those who work be- hind the scenes." In preparing for the next General Election, they needed assistance in every sector, he said. He also thanked his PD coun- terparts. "We can now present ourselves as a single front to the electorate and avoid the dilution of votes," he said, adding that the parties had already started working together before the un- ion had been made official. Carmel Cacopardo JAMES DEBONO DESPITE an increase in awareness campaigns that has made smok- ing cigarettes less popular than its heyday, the percentage of regular smokers among future doctors at- tending Malta's medical school appears not to have changed sig- nificantly since 2008, with the per- centage decreasing slightly from 12% to 11%. A study published in Malta Med- ical Gazette shows that despite the greater health awareness expected from students aiming to become doctors, more than a quarter of medical students are either regu- lar smokers or social smokers, with the number increasing from 24% among first-years to 28% among fifth-years. The study shows that while 69% have of medical students have nev- er smoked, 11% are active smokers while 16% are social smokers. Only 1% have switched to vaping while 4% have quitted smoking. The authors of the study call on the health and education authori- ties to recognize and tackle this is- sue "so that all future doctors can become role models for their pa- tients". The study was based on a survey of all medical students enrolled in the medical school; 465 of 717 el- igible students participated in the survey. The authors of the study contend that awareness campaigns are not producing statistically significant results in reducing the number of active smokers among medical stu- dents. The survey shows that social smokers among medical students, smoke more frequently when sur- rounded by fellow friends, especial- ly whilst drinking alcohol. 55% of smokers admitted to smoking during stressful situa- tions, 33% use smoking as a coping mechanism, 14% smoke due to peer pressure whilst 8% smoke to aid their weight loss. The vast majority of the smoking cohort which includes both social and daily smokers, admitted to smoking less than five cigarettes per day (67%), whilst a further 18% smoked 6-10 cigarettes a day. The remaining 16% smoked between 11-20 cigarettes per day. The 10.8% smoking rate amongst Maltese medical students is a com- paratively low rate when taking into account those in a number of Euro- pean countries, including Slovakia (21%), Germany (24%), Spain (37%) and Greece (41%) – all from 2005 data. However, Malta followed a gen- eral international trend in seeing the medical student population of a country enjoying a lower smok- ing rate than the national rate of that country. In fact, other studies show that on a national level, 20.2% of females and 29.7% of males are smokers. The study shows that female med- ical students were more likely to be social smokers and more likely to try to quit. But the percentage of active smokers among Maltese medi- cal students remains considerably high, especially in view of research showing that doctors who smoke may not be as effective as other non-smoking doctors in advising and succeeding in getting their pa- tients to quit smoking. A study conducted locally in 2007-2008 had showed that the prevalence of smoking was that of 12.3%. But the study did consider social smokers. Medical students continue to smoke despite direct exposure both to the teaching of the harmful effects of cigarettes, as well as to the experience of patients suffering from the effects of contin- ued smoking. The study recommends counsel- ling to smokers on campus, more emphasis on the deleterious effects of tobacco and that smoking should be banned from all hospital grounds and premises "in order to further decrease smoking areas available and hence decrease smoking". The study was undertaken by medical doctors Matthew Pizzuto, Brendan Caruana Montaldo, Mat- thew Seychell and medical student Tamara Muscat. One-tenth of medical students smoke regularly While 69% have of medical students have never smoked, 11% are active smokers while 16% are social smokers. Only 1% have switched to vaping while 4% have quitted smoking The percentage of active smokers among Maltese medical students remains considerably high, especially in view of research showing that doctors who smoke may not be as effective as other non-smoking doctors in advising and succeeding in getting their patients to quit smoking