Initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on tobacco use among college students in California

Objective: To evaluate the change in tobacco use by college students in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Young adults (18-24 years) currently enrolled in a California college or university (N = 212). Methods: Students recruited through social media posts and by student tobacco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American college health 2023-07, Vol.ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), p.1-6
Main Authors: Maheta, Bhagvat J., Khan, Afroze, Skinner, Samantha, Dove, Melanie S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College students
COVID-19
tobacco use
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Summary:Objective: To evaluate the change in tobacco use by college students in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Young adults (18-24 years) currently enrolled in a California college or university (N = 212). Methods: Students recruited through social media posts and by student tobacco advocate members completed an online survey of 59 questions in Spring 2021. Results: Almost 80% of current tobacco users reported a change in tobacco use during the pandemic. Most current tobacco users who changed their tobacco use reported an increase in use during the pandemic (43.2%) and 38.7% reported a decrease in use. Conclusion: As a result of COVID-19, many college students changed their tobacco use. As students return to campus and COVID-19 regulations are lifted, this may be an ideal time for prevention and cessation messages, which could include information on health risks associated with tobacco and e-cigarette use, and healthy methods for stress reduction.
ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448481.2023.2232458