Learning Objectives: understand the extent of the problem of tobacco use by college women, particularly sorority members, and of the need for instituting and promoting tobacco awareness programs and smoking cessation services on all US college campuses.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective: The current Project FOCUS study corroborates a previous Project FOCUS study that showed smoking among college women is a serious problem that is neither fully appreciated nor addressed.
Methods: Project FOCUS is a collegiate, peer-based, antitobacco program developed by Innovative Medical Education Consortium (IMEC) in partnership with the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). The program is used to train college women to give antitobacco presentations to their peers. Speakers from five college campuses gave presentations using the Tobacco Use Among American Women: Facts & Figures speakers kit. Five hundred ninety-five postlecture surveys were completed or partially completed.
Results: Of those who answered the question on ethnic origin, 85.3% were Caucasian, 6.5% were African-American, and 3% were Hispanic; on sorority membership, 83.3% were members; on smoking during previous 30 days, 41.5% smoked on 10 or more days; on number of cigarettes smoked per day, 49.1% smoked two or more per day; on age when first used tobacco, 43.9% were 14 or younger, 42.3% were between 15 and 17, and 12.5% were 18 or older; on why they continue to smoke, 16.3% were addicted, 29.4% to relieve stress, and 20.0% when drinking alcohol; on availability of campus smoking cessation services, 64.1% were unaware; on willingness to use such services, only 19.3% indicated they would.
Conclusions: Information programs on tobacco use and smoking cessation services need to be instituted on all college campuses, and students need to be actively encouraged to participate in these programs.
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