Cigarette smoking among university students aged 18–24 years in New Zealand: results of the first (baseline) of two national surveys

Abstract

ObjectivesAlthough the smoking prevalence continues to decline in New Zealand (NZ) overall, little is known about smoking in university students. A 2013 survey of students aged 17–25 years found that 14% were current smokers, and 3% daily smokers. However, the sample did not include students from all NZ universities. This study examines the prevalence and patterns of cigarette smoking among students aged 18–24 years.SettingUniversity students across NZ.MethodsData came from a March to May 2018 survey of students from all NZ universities, and were weighted to account for undersampling and oversampling, based on gender and university size. χ2 tests were used to compare smoking by age, gender and ethnicity.Participants1476 participants were included: 919 (62.3%) aged 18–20 years and 557 (37.7%) aged 21–24 years; 569 (38.6%) male and 907 (61.4%) female; and 117 (7.9%) Māori and 1359 (92.1%) non-Māori.Results49.8% (95% CI 47.2 to 52.4) of respondents reported ever smoking, 11.1% (95% CI 9.5 to 12.9) currently smoked (smoked at least once a month) and 5.9% (95% CI 4.8 to 7.3) smoked at least daily (daily smokers). Of current smokers, 63.6% smoked 1–5 cigarettes/day, 45.8% smoked daily, 73.4% smoked first cigarette >60 min after waking, 86.0% never/almost never smoked in indoor and 64.6% in outdoor smokefree spaces, 69.9% planned to quit and 32.4% had tried to quit. Ever, current and daily smoking were significantly higher in 21–24 compared with 18–20 years olds, and in males compared with females. Older participants were more likely to report smoking more cigarettes/day. Māori were more likely to report ever smoking than non-Māori.ConclusionsCurrent smoking among NZ university students aged 18–24 years appears to be declining but daily smoking could be increasing. However, many students appeared less addicted to nicotine, and willing to quit. We recommend increasing the availability of smokefree services for students who wish to quit.

Electronic cigarette use among university students aged 18–24 years in New Zealand: results of a 2018 national cross-sectional survey

“…A convenience sample was used and we recognise that volunteer bias could lead to underestimation or overestimation of prevalence estimates. Data were weighted based on gender and institution size, as in our previous work, 43 to partly address this.…”

“…The survey was distributed widely online (on respective university students' association Facebook pages) and through direct contact with research assistants (RAs) from participating universities. 43 RAs were provided with training and supervision to collect and relay data securely to the principal investigator. Students received a description of the study and were required to consent to participation by answering 'Yes' to the question, 'Do you agree to take part in this survey?'…”

Attitudes towards the New Zealand Government’s Smokefree 2025 goal associated with smoking and vaping in university students aged 18 to 24 years: results of a 2018 national cross-sectional survey

“…Open access eight universities in NZ found 11.1% of respondents aged 18 to 24 years were current smokers. 5 This estimate was substantially lower than that of individuals aged 18 to 24 in the general population (19.2%). 6 In March 2011, the New Zealand Government adopted the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 goal (Smokefree 2025 goal or Smokefree goal), which aims to reduce the prevalence of smoking to 5% or less by the year 2025.…”

“…Years lived in NZ (5 or less) was used as proxy for international students, based on our previous work. 5 Participants could select one or more of the eight universities in NZ: Auckland University of Technology, Lincoln University, Massey University, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, University of Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington. This variable helped us to assess the representativeness of the sample based on university size.…”

Knowledge and stances on smoking tobacco in student population

“…Nije rijedak slučaj da prestanak pušenja dovede do apstnencijalnog sindroma. Iz ovog razloga je SZO pušenje uvrstilo u bolest zavisnosti zajedno sa alkoholizmom i narkomanijom i šifrirala oznakom F17 u Međunarodnoj klasifikaciji bolesti, MKB-10 [2,3]. Noviji radovi potvrđuju uzročnu povezanost pušenja i karcinoma pluća, karcinoma bronha, infarkta miokarda i hronične opstruktivne bolesti pluća [4][5][6].…”