Social and psychological causes of smoking among students of different specialties

Abstract

The results of causes of smoking studying among people of different ages and genders from around the world are sufficiently presented in Russian and foreign scientists' scientific publications. Different investigations concerning tobacco smoking influence on life support systems, health-saving anti-tobacco programs efficiency, and establishment of tobacco smoking reasons are scientifically described. However, the issue of socio-psychological causes of smoking among students of different specialties is not sufficiently studied. The article presents an extensive review of modern Russian and foreign scientific publications, which present the results of the study of the causes of smoking among people of different ages and gender from around the world. On the comparative analysis basis of students-athletes' survey results (Ural State University of Physical Culture UralSUPC), and students-humanists (Chelyabinsk State University ChelSU) from Chelyabinsk the socio-psychological causes of their smoking were studied. The aim of this research was studying and rank determination of students' main causes, social and psychological aspects of smoking in different higher educational establishments. The object of the study is the social and psychological causes of students' smoking. The methodology of this research was a questionnaire survey, the questions of which were aimed at identifying the social and psychological causes of smoking among students of two Chelyabinsk universities during their period of professional development. The following research stages were identified: planning and program of the research, material collection, the received results processing and statistical analysis of the material. The significance of the differences was determined. The research revealed that the dominant categories of smoking among students - athletes are social categories, and those among students-humanitarians - psychophysiological ones. Detection of tobacco smoking causes categories and their significance in the population of students, studying at different universities, allows developing anti-tobacco company activities. Information on the social or psychophysiological categories of smoking prevalence allows higher educational establishments' specialists to improve the effectiveness of anti-smoking activities, thereby contributing to students' healthy lifestyle formation.