Smoking and attitudes toward smoking policy at a University in Egypt

ABSTRACT

To assess smoking behavior, knowledge of smoking harm, and attitudes toward campus smoking policy at an Egyptian university, an online survey of students, staff, and faculty was conducted (N = 992). The smoking prevalence of 38% among men was in line with Egypt’s national average, but the smoking prevalence among women of 20% was much higher than the national average. Smoking status influenced beliefs about smoking harm and attitudes toward smoking policy, with nonsmokers having stronger beliefs about the harm of smoking and showing stronger support for smoking regulations than smokers. Smokers were more knowledgeable about smoking policy than were nonsmokers and differed slightly in their preferences for smoking policy enforcement strategies. These findings contribute to our understanding of how to tailor college smoking policy and programs to an Egyptian context.

KEYWORDS:

• Smoking in Egypt
• smoking policy
• smoking prevention
• university smoking

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contributions of Andalib Fahmy, Yomna Farag, Nashwa Ghoneim, Amira Ragy, Hana Shahin, Sally Tayie, Alexandria Nicolas Gazis, Salma El Shayeb, and Lisa Anderson.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carie L. Forden

Carie Forden is on leave from Clarion University, and Amy M. Carrillo is now at William Jessup University.