Learning Objectives: identify the behaviors, attitudes, demographic trends, and social influnces regarding tobacco use among college students.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective: National surveys of tobacco use among college students provide general trends, but cannot reveal detailed attitudinal influences nor micro-trends in tobacco use in a single campus. This presentation showcases results from three surveys of students from one university in which tobacco use, social influences, and attitudes toward tobacco policies were assessed over a two year period.
Methods: A stratified, cluster sampling strategy was used to survey students at 3 times across 2-year period. Sample sizes ranged from 539 to 680. Measures included Smoking Attitudes Scale, ever use and current tobacco use, social influences, and demographics.
Results:Smoking prevalence was very high (35+%)in Spring, 2002 and but dropped considerably in Fall 2002 (28.5%) and Spring, 2003 (27.5%), especially for women, and was variant across class level with Sophomores or Juniors having the highest prevalence. Across survey periods, between 20% and 64% of current smokers were contemplating or were prepared to quit smoking. Smokers tended to have more friends and acquaintances who smoked than did non- or ex-smokers. Attitudes toward smoking issues, such as restrictions on tobacco sales, smoking in public places,and health beliefs differed reliably and predictably among current, ex-, and non-smokers, but even smokers tended to have positive attitudes toward smoking restrictions and efforts to implement tobacco control interventions on campus.
Conclusions: A single campus-wide survey may provide incomplete information about tobacco-related behaviors and attitudes. Multiple surveys of the same population show changing trends that may be affected by seasonal influences. Furthermore, comprehensive campus surveys provide detailed information to assist efforts to create effective tobacco control interventions on a college campus.
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