The learning outcomes of smoking cessation training in undergraduate nursing students: A systematic review

To systematically evaluate the effect of smoking cessation training on nursing students’ learning outcomes. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022373280). Ten electronic English and Chinese databases were searched to identify articles on nursing students’ smoking cessation training from inception to October 2022. Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the methodological quality of eligible studies. Twelve moderate methodological quality studies (three randomized controlled trials and nine quasi-experimental studies) with 2114 undergraduate nursing students were included. Teaching strategies included didactic lectures, collaborative learning, blended learning and the service-learning approach. Eight studies showed that the training significantly increased nursing students’ knowledge of smoking cessation (p < 0.05) and three of them showed a large effect size (Cohen’s d: 0.83–1.31). Seven studies showed that training enhanced students’ attitudes/motivation towards smoking cessation interventions significantly (p < 0.05) and two of them showed a large effect size (Cohen’s d: 1.11–1.84). Nine studies reported that students’ self-efficacy improved significantly after training (p < 0.05) and six of them showed a large effect size (Cohen’s d: 0.98–2.18). Two one-group pre-post studies showed training significantly improved students’ practice of 5 A’s behavior (p < 0.05), with a small effect size (Cohen’s d < 0.50). This review showed that smoking cessation training had a positive and large effect on undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes/motivation and self-efficacy towards smoking cessation intervention, but the effect of changing the practice of 5 A’s was modest. We noted that very few RCTs were done and most studies only used subjective measures. More robust experimental studies with long-term follow-up are warranted in evaluating nursing students’ practice/behavior of smoking cessation intervention and patients’ quitting outcomes. Blended and collaborative learning are recommended in smoking cessation education.