Prevalence of and factors associated with cigarette smoking among university students: a study from Iran.
To determine the prevalence of cigarette use among college students and to identify correlates of cigarette smoking, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 1750 college students in the city of Kerman, located in southern Iran. The average age of college students was 21.2 ± 2.1 years. A total of 52% participants were female, 92% were single, and 11% (184) were smokers (22% of men and 2.4% of women). The average age of smoking initiation was 15.9 ± 4.5 years. A high association was shown with the use of cigarettes among close friends (odds ratio [OR] = 4.3), alcohol use (OR = 2.95), and being a male (OR = 2.81). Less cigarette use was shown among participants who prayed (OR = 0.52) and those with better academic standing (OR = 0.68). Based up the high prevalence of cigarette use among college students and also taking into account the correlates of cigarette use, gender-specific programs need to be tailored for cigarette use prevention among college students.
Nakhaee
Nouzar
N
Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman, Islamic Republic of Iran. nakhaeen@yahoo.com
Divsalar
Kouros
K
Bahreinifar
Sareh
S
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult