Abstract
Knowledge of student smoking behaviors and attitudes was sought to inform a proposal to implement a smoke-free university campus. This study assessed prevalence of student smoking and quitting behaviors and associated demographic, contextual and attitudinal factors. A cross-sectional design using a convenience sample on a single university site was utilized. Data were collected by anonymous self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logistic models comparing smokers and non-smokers (Model 1) and daily with occasional smokers Model 2. Of 739 respondents, 19% of students smoked; 12% occasional (non-daily) and 7% daily smokers. Smokers were more likely to be ≥22 years and to allow smoking inside their accommodation (Model 1). They were less likely to agree that tobacco was addictive and to consider those who smoked at parties and weekends to be regular smokers. In Model 2, daily smokers were older and nine times more likely to report increased difficulty in handling stress if they quit smoking. Forty-four percent of all smokers had attempted to quit in the past year, 35% of smokers intended to quit in the next 30 days and 53% in the next six months. Forty percent did not use quitting supports. Occasional rather than daily smoking was more prevalent in university students. Smokers differed from non-smokers in their perception of smoking-related health risks. Increasing age was the best predictor of regular and occasional smoking. Intentions to quit smoking and quit attempts were high among all smokers although use of on-site cessation supports was less than the optimal. These combined factors indicate a need for better targeting of our prevention strategies and the need to promote greater awareness of cessation supports for successful implementation of a smoke-free campus.
Highlights
University is a time of transition for many aspects of life in young adults, including health smoking behaviors [1]
Occasional rather than daily smoking was more prevalent in university students
It was considered important to explore smoking and quitting behaviors and the attitudinal factors associated with these behaviors so as to better inform decision making on establishing a tobacco free campus
Summary
University is a time of transition for many aspects of life in young adults, including health smoking behaviors [1]. A number of studies have examined the association between the student profile and social and cultural predisposing factors to smoking. Student smoking has been associated with many factors, including older age [8] [9] and non-health courses of study [4] [6] [9]. Studies that have compared predisposing factors to smoking in daily and occasional smokers have found that as occasional smokers more often define their smoking as social smoking [12], situational and contextual variables have been found to be stronger precipitators of smoking in occasional rather than daily smokers [10]. Contextual precipitators of smoking in occasional smokers include: location—where smoking is permitted such as outside [10]; presence of others smoking [10] [13]; alcohol [13] [14]; and stress [13]
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