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Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students

Mark J M Sullman, Maria E Gras, Jiawei D Hughes, Ioulia Papageorgi, Fran Calvo and Sílvia Font-Mayolas
Tobacco induced diseases, v 22(November), pp 1-11
01 Nov 2024
PMID: 39583154
url
https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/195379View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

polytobacco use reasons e-cigarettes waterpipe young adults
Tobacco use remains a significant public health issue worldwide, causing over 7 million deaths annually. Polytobacco use has become a common phenomenon. This study aims to analyze reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use and poly use among university students by sex, in China and Cyprus, selected owing to their still high consumption rates. An online survey was conducted among 589 university students (55% women) with a mean age of 24.2 years from Guangzhou, China, and the Republic of Cyprus. Participants reported their use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and waterpipes, as well as their reasons for using these products. Statistical analyses included chi-squared tests, and effect sizes were computed using the phi (φ) coefficient. The Chinese participants gave as reasons for using cigarettes: 'because of the taste', 'because it looks cool', 'to get high' and 'because friends and family use them'. These were less frequently given by the Cypriots who opted more for 'to relax and relieve tension'. Compared to the Cypriot participants, the more frequent reasons given for consuming e-cigarettes and waterpipes among Chinese students were: 'due to boredom', 'because it looks cool', 'to get high', 'because I am hooked', 'because friends or family members use them', 'because they are less harmful than regular cigarettes' and 'because friends of family members allow their use more'. Dual or poly users felt more addicted than those who practiced single use. Among e-cigarette users, dual users and poly users valued the taste of the product more than single users. In general, men found more reasons for tobacco use than women did. This study shows substantial differences in the motivation for using these products according to the product type, number of tobacco/nicotine products used, country, and sex. Understanding the reasons for tobacco use can inform targeted interventions aimed at reducing tobacco consumption among young adults.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Substance Abuse
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