Factors Related to Smoking in College and Not in College Young Adults

Abstract

This study sought variables associated with current smoking for young adult males and females in college compared with those not in college. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by a cohort of 1,270 young adults (ages 20–24) who have been followed from grade 6 for 10 years. Both bivariate and multivariable analyses of demographic characteristics, family and friends smoking and other drug use, psychosocial factors and attitude, and lifestyle factors were conducted. In the bivariate analyses, male and female college students had many variables in common, as did not-in-college males and females. In the multivariable analysis, similar variables for male and female college smokers were found, but depression was only important for males. For male and female not-in-college smokers, while some similarities were found (amount of money and expectation for continued smoking), there were also differences: the male model included friends smoking and number of tobacco products, whereas the female contained attitude towards smoking and social conformity. There are similarities between college and non-college models, and between male and female models in both groups, but for anti-smoking programs it may be important to focus on the differences in the models, which may have to be tailored to level of education as well as gender.