Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the tobacco and product use status of university students, their awareness of smoke-free campuses, and the relationship between tobacco use awareness and tobacco use status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire for students (n = 15.515) who...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AVES
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Thoracic Research and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://thoracrespract.org/articles/moving-toward-a-smoke-free-campus-a-survey-of-students-knowledge-behavior-and-opinions/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24099 |
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| _version_ | 1832539990533341184 |
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| author | Ülken Tunga Babaoğlu Hüseyin İlter |
| author_facet | Ülken Tunga Babaoğlu Hüseyin İlter |
| author_sort | Ülken Tunga Babaoğlu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVE: This study examines the tobacco and product use status of university students, their awareness of smoke-free campuses, and the relationship between tobacco use awareness and tobacco use status.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire for students (n = 15.515) who continued their education at a state university. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic, tobacco and product use behaviors, and a Smoke-free Campus Awareness Scale (SCAS). The chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous variables.
RESULTS: 28.5% of the university students were active smokers, and 48.7% were exposed to passive smoking on campus. When the SCAS scores were compared according to the smoking status of the students, never smokers (median: 44.0, Q1=36.0-Q3=48.0), active smokers (median: 27.0, Q1=20.0-Q3=36.0), and recent quitters (median: 33.0-Q1=11.0-Q3=43.0) (P < 0.001). SCAS scores were compared according to gender; the median score of female students (Q1=31.0-Q3=46.0) was statistically higher than that of male students (Q1=19.0-Q3=44.0). Non-smokers were found to be statistically more uncomfortable with being exposed to secondhand smoke on campus than smokers (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Most students were unaware of the smoke-free campus policy but were aware that passive smoking is an important public health problem. The fact that male students and smokers oppose implementation requires investigation of the reasons for these attitudes in future studies, and monitoring tobacco use trends after implementation is important to effectively evaluate smoke-free campus implementation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb2b448a26634122bf8673d9d3810bc9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2979-9139 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | AVES |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Thoracic Research and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb2b448a26634122bf8673d9d3810bc92025-02-05T06:17:10ZengAVESThoracic Research and Practice2979-91392025-03-01262697610.4274/ThoracResPract.2024.24099Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and OpinionsÜlken Tunga Babaoğlu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0275-0537Hüseyin İlter1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4452-8902Department of Public Health Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Medicine, Kırşehir, TürkiyeDepartment of Public Health Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Medicine, Kırşehir, TürkiyeOBJECTIVE: This study examines the tobacco and product use status of university students, their awareness of smoke-free campuses, and the relationship between tobacco use awareness and tobacco use status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire for students (n = 15.515) who continued their education at a state university. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic, tobacco and product use behaviors, and a Smoke-free Campus Awareness Scale (SCAS). The chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for continuous variables. RESULTS: 28.5% of the university students were active smokers, and 48.7% were exposed to passive smoking on campus. When the SCAS scores were compared according to the smoking status of the students, never smokers (median: 44.0, Q1=36.0-Q3=48.0), active smokers (median: 27.0, Q1=20.0-Q3=36.0), and recent quitters (median: 33.0-Q1=11.0-Q3=43.0) (P < 0.001). SCAS scores were compared according to gender; the median score of female students (Q1=31.0-Q3=46.0) was statistically higher than that of male students (Q1=19.0-Q3=44.0). Non-smokers were found to be statistically more uncomfortable with being exposed to secondhand smoke on campus than smokers (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Most students were unaware of the smoke-free campus policy but were aware that passive smoking is an important public health problem. The fact that male students and smokers oppose implementation requires investigation of the reasons for these attitudes in future studies, and monitoring tobacco use trends after implementation is important to effectively evaluate smoke-free campus implementation.https://thoracrespract.org/articles/moving-toward-a-smoke-free-campus-a-survey-of-students-knowledge-behavior-and-opinions/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24099cigarette smokingstudentsuniversity tobacco policiessmoke-free policytobacco control |
| spellingShingle | Ülken Tunga Babaoğlu Hüseyin İlter Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions Thoracic Research and Practice cigarette smoking students university tobacco policies smoke-free policy tobacco control |
| title | Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions |
| title_full | Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions |
| title_fullStr | Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions |
| title_short | Moving Toward a Smoke-free Campus: A Survey of Students’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Opinions |
| title_sort | moving toward a smoke free campus a survey of students knowledge behavior and opinions |
| topic | cigarette smoking students university tobacco policies smoke-free policy tobacco control |
| url | https://thoracrespract.org/articles/moving-toward-a-smoke-free-campus-a-survey-of-students-knowledge-behavior-and-opinions/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24099 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ulkentungababaoglu movingtowardasmokefreecampusasurveyofstudentsknowledgebehaviorandopinions AT huseyinilter movingtowardasmokefreecampusasurveyofstudentsknowledgebehaviorandopinions |