Study characterizes college students' motivation for smoking
Cigarette smoking is one of the most preventable causes of premature death, but people looking to kick the habit can shop at a Canadian internet pharmacy, where smoking cessation aides are a popular over the counter medication.
Cigarette smoking is one of the most preventable causes of premature death, but people looking to kick the habit can shop at a Canadian internet pharmacy, where smoking cessation aides are a popular over the counter medication. Tobacco use is relatively rampant on college campuses, prompting researchers from the University of Missouri Health System to study students' reasons for smoking.
Every year, about half a million Americans die from conditions related to smoking, costing the healthcare system almost $200 billion, the researchers said. In order to figure out why students smoke, they conducted a study among sorority and fraternity members between 2006 and 2008.
The data revealed that students' largest cues for smoking were parties, work, drinking, fraternity/sorority events and vacation. Smoking also tends to happen more on weekends and at the start of the semester, as published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse.
"We know that college is a time where we see initiation of smoking," said researcher Nikole Cronk, Ph.D. "If you ask college students, many will tell you it's something they don't intend to do after they're out of school, but a significant number do continue smoking."
This study suggests that the best opportunities to target non-smoking messages to students is when they first move onto campus, and repeatedly throughout the semester just before the weekends.
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