College student smokers: former versus current and nonsmokers.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about how former smokers are different from nonsmokers and current smokers in the young adult population.


OBJECTIVE
Intra- and inter-personal factors associated with former smoking status were examined among a college student sample.


METHODS
Undergraduate students (N=8834) were contacted at a 2-year college and a 4-year university in 2008; 2700 completed the online survey (30.6% response rate). Current analyses, conducted in 2011, focused on 2589 students aged 18-30 years. Current (past 30-day) smoking prevalence was 35.3% (n=918); 9.2% (n=244) were former smokers.


RESULTS
Multinomial logistic regression found that compared to former smokers, nonsmokers were younger (OR=0.91, CI=0.89, 0.92); less frequently used other tobacco products (OR=0.97, CI=0.94, 0.99); less frequently limited their dietary fat intake (OR=0.98, CI=0.97, 0.99); had more negative attitudes regarding smoking (OR=1.03, CI=1.02, 1.04); had lower levels of hope (OR=0.97, CI=0.94, 0.99); and had fewer friends who smoked (OR=0.74, CI=0.67, 0.83). Compared to former smokers, current smokers were younger (OR=0.94, CI=0.92, 0.96); more frequently binge drank (OR=1.11, CI=1.05, 1.18); less frequently limited their dietary fat intake (OR=0.98, CI=0.96, 0.99); had less negative attitudes toward smoking (OR=0.97, CI=0.96, 0.98); had lower levels of hope (OR=0.96, CI=0.94, 0.99); were more likely to live with other smokers (OR=2.09, CI=1.45, 3.00); and had more friends who smoked (OR=1.20, CI=1.07, 1.34).


CONCLUSIONS
Intrapersonal factors (hope, attitudes toward smoking); interpersonal factors (living with smokers, friends' smoking); and use of other substances (alcohol, alternative tobacco products) are associated with differing smoking behaviors.
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. cjberg@emory.edu
Carla J
CJ
Berg
Gillian L
GL
Schauer
Kirsten
K
Rodgers
Shana K
SK
Narula
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
D004041:Dietary Fats