Self-Reported Prevalence of Tobacco Use; Including the Fagerstrom Test, among an Universi-ty Students, Turkey

Abstract

Objective: Tobacco use is the most important public health concern worldwide, particularly in developing countries. It is estimated that 1.7 billion people worldwide will be smokers by 2025 if any intervention do not made. Turkey took an important step in the fight against smoking with the introduction of the project 'smokeless airspace' in May 2009. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of smoking and characteristics of smokers among undergraduates attending Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. Methods: This cross-sectional study was realized among Manisa Celal Bayar University students between March 2015 and June 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data and determine smoking behaviour and nicotine dependence among university students. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to measure the prevalence of smoking and determine correlations between dependent and independent variables. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables Results: Of the 2170 respondents, 518 (23.9%) were current smokers, comprising 312 (60.2%) males and 206 (39.8%) females. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with having friends who smoked, male gender, and parental smoking. Based on the Fagerstrom Tolerance Test, 8.9% of the students were identified as being addicts. According to Fagerström Tolerance of Nicotine Dependence. 193 out of 518 (37.2%) students were reported as nicotine dependent. Conclusion: Deleterious effects of smoking on human health should be incessantly emphasized in the university curriculum, policies of 'smokeless airspace, should be supported by stronger, and more effective programs in order to encourage university students to quit smoking.

The effect of anxiety on nicotine dependence among university students during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…More than half of them (65.2%) had low nicotine dependence (Table 4). Elbi et al 42 and Provenzano et al 16 also reported low nicotine dependence among more than half of university students. Chinwong et al 47 looked into the prevalence of nicotine dependence in Thai university students and found that 71.7% of the male students (mean FTND = 2.3) and 88.4% of the female students (mean FTND = 1.8) had low nicotine dependence 48 …”

“…Birinci and Bulut 33 also reported that students with smoking parents or siblings had higher nicotine dependence. Elbi et al 42 detected a positive correlation between the nicotine dependence rates of students and their family members.…”

Determining the Relationship Between Smoking Behaviors and Menstrual Irregularity in Women

“…The incidence of menstrual irregularities in women is reported to vary in a wide range between 8.4% and 76.9% [1, 2, 8-11, 28, 29]. However, few studies have examined the relationship between smoking and menstrual irregularities [13,19,20]. Bae et al determined that 10.3% of women who smoked experienced menstrual irregularity, and this relationship was statistically signi cant.…”

“…Given the rising trend of female smoking rates, it appears that studies evaluating the association between menstrual irregularities and smoking in women of reproductive age are required. The studies that have been undertaken to investigate the association between smoking and menstrual irregularities have been fairly limited, and the smoking parameter has not been addressed separately [13,19,20]. This research aimed to examine the association between smoking habits and menstrual irregularities in women.…”

Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Tütün Kullanım Prevalansı ve İlişkili Risk Faktörleri: Trabzon, Türkiye

“…There is no national research covering university students in general in Turkey, although current research reports prevalences of use between 20.6% and 43.6%. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] MPOWER strategies are employed to combat tobacco use in Turkey. Within that context, the sale and advertising of tobacco products have been banned in universities, and numerous educational and other activities stressing their deleterious effects on health have been and continue to be organized.…”