Prevalence and Characteristics of Smokers at Colleges

Article Highlights

Study Title: Prevalence and characteristics of smokers at 30 Pacific Northwest colleges and universities.
Study Authors: Beti Thompson, Gloria Coronado, Lu Chen, L. Anne Thompson,Abigail Halperin, Robert Jaffe, Tim McAfee, Susan M. Zbikowski
Publication Date: 2007
Complete Study: View Complete Abstract

Overview

Currently 22.5% of full-time college students have smoked in the past 30 days. The literature provides only a few large-scale studies examining tobacco use in colleges. College can be the starting point for tobacco use for many students

The researchers conducted an in depth study within 30 colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the study was to increase the understanding of tobacco use in the college setting and pay specific attention to factors like gender and school types.

Design

The researchers conducted a survey among students. The school size determined the group sizes. The schools ranged in sizes from 488 to 15,390 students. For the 14 largest schools, the researchers drew a random sample of all students. The study group decided to recruit a higher number of freshmen (n<750) so to recruit and follow a group to assess and monitor smoking habits trough all the college years. The remaining sample had an equivalent number of f sophomores, juniors, and seniors (n=200 for each group). For the 16 schools with fewer than 1,350 students, the researchers surveyed all students. The students had to be undergraduate, matriculated and degree-seeking to participate to the study. School administrators were asked to provide list of all such students for the study team to draw a random sample from. The researchers assessed current and past tobacco use in the survey.

Results

14,237 students responded to the survey for an overall response rate of 46.9%.

17.2% of the students participating to the study were tobacco users and 30.6% of the participants were classified as former smokers. The study revealed differences in smoking rates based on gender, school type, and living accommodations.

Males (18.6%) were more likely to smoke than females (16.6%), even though a slightly larger portion of female smokers referred to themselves as regular smokers, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day. A higher rate of smoking was found amongst students attending a public college, versus students attending private independent schools, 20.5% and 18.9% respectively. An inverse association was found between smoking and GPA. 32.7% of students with a GPA of lower than 2.0 smoked, while the percentage of tobacco users among student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher was11.6%-16.3%.

The last difference noted by the researchers was related to living accommodations. There was a higher rate of smokers amongst students living in fraternities, sororities or off campus, compared to students living in campus residences, campus apartments or with their parents.

Conclusions