Cigarette Smoking Practices Among American College Students: Review and Future Directions

Cigarette smoking among college students is a critical public health problem. In this article, the authors review available research on cigarette smoking practices among college students and suggest directions for future research. Studies show that smoking by college students is associated with bein...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American college health 2004-03, Vol.52 (5), p.203-212
Main Authors: Patterson, Freda, Lerman, Caryn, Kaufmann, Vyga G, Neuner, Geoffrey A, Audrain-McGovern, Janet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Behavior
Cessation
College Students
Colleges
Coping
Depression (Psychology)
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Life Satisfaction
Life Style
Literature reviews
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Prevalence
Psychology
Public Health
Quality of life
Residence Characteristics
review literature
Smoking
Smoking - epidemiology
Smoking - psychology
smoking cessation
Students
Students - psychology
tobacco
United States - epidemiology
Universities
USA
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Summary:Cigarette smoking among college students is a critical public health problem. In this article, the authors review available research on cigarette smoking practices among college students and suggest directions for future research. Studies show that smoking by college students is associated with being White, living in housing where smoking is permitted, using alcohol and other substances, and having a lower psychological sense of well-being. Depression, life satisfaction, and coping style are also related to college smoking, but the causal relationship remains unclear. Although a large proportion of college students have made an attempt to quit smoking, only a minority actually succeed. Most study designs examining college smoking have been cross-sectional, descriptive, or both. Thus, conclusions regarding predictors of smoking onset, maintenance, and cessation cannot be made. Future studies should use longitudinal designs that can identify psychological and socioenvironmental determinants of smoking among college students. Such information could inform the development of smoking prevention and cessation interventions targeted to the college student population.
ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.3200/JACH.52.5.203-212