Examining Demographic Factors Related to Cigarette Smoking among Undergraduate Students at a Turkish University

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is the leading global preventable health risk, and it is associated with well-known health risks such as morbidity, mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and nicotine addiction. When analyzed by age group, cigarette smoking in Turkey is the most prevalent among younger adult populations. The college years appear to be a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and movement into regular patterns of use, although college smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers, meaning that they smoke more in social situations. This paper aims to identify the demographic factors related to cigarette smoking of undergraduate students in Erzurum, Atatürk University; to interpret these factors, and to assist in informing alternatives for taking more effective action than the typical cessation campaigns. Using logistic regression analysis with cross-sectional data obtained using the questionnaire; the factors affecting cigarette smoking in this context were identified. There were significant effects for the demographic factors including gender, geographical region, parents' residence, father's profession, family members, occupation status, and general satisfaction, p < 0.05; faculty and present residence, p < 0.10. The survey and logistic regression results of this paper also showed marked similarities with recent studies in the reviewed literature and recent policies.