Is tobacco use a problem among deaf college students?
College students' tobacco use poses a significant public health problem. Effective intervention requires understanding of this behavior among race/ethnic, cultural, and linguistic collegiate subgroups, including deaf and hard of hearing collegians. Findings from a first-ever tobacco-related survey among this understudied population are reported. The authors used written questionnaires and the Interactive Video Questionnaire, a multimedia computer technology developed for use with the deaf and hard of hearing, to interview 241 volunteers on seven California college campuses. They found lower self-reported current smoking prevalence (14.5%) relative to collegians in the general population, but considerable ever smoking (65.1%) and multiple types of tobacco use (37.3%). The authors report on factors associated with tobacco use and on students' exposure to cigarette marketing, gaps experienced in receipt of antitobacco messages and services, and students' antitobacco intervention recommendations. Limitations of the research are described, including possible underreporting of participants' tobacco use.
Berman
Barbara A
BA
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research, School of Public Health and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University oF California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA.
Bernaards
Coen
C
Eckhardt
Elizabeth A
EA
Kleiger
Heidi B
HB
Maucere
Lauren
L
Streja
Leanne
L
Wong
Glenn
G
Barkin
Shari
S
Bastani
Roshan
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires