Smoking among university students: A gender analysis

Abstract

The main objectives of this paper were to estimate the consumption patterns of tobacco use among King Saud University (KSU) undergraduate students; and investigate different risk factors which may contribute to tobacco use among female students. A representative sample (n=7550) of the total KSU undergraduate student population of 69,498 (males and females) was selected, stratified according to college and gender. A modified version of the WHO/CDC Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) questionnaire was used for data collection. Overall smoking prevalence among KSU students was estimated at 14.5%, prevalence among male students (32.7%), and females (5.9%). Independent risk factors for smoking among males were found to be: age, father's smoking habits, and "friends' smoking habits"; while among females were: sister's smoking habits and "friends' smoking habits." The findings of this study re-emphasize the significance of peer pressure on smoking among university students of both sexes; influence of family members, usually of same sex. We need to foster gender-sensitive tobacco prevention intervention programs, to prevent youngsters of both sexes from taking up such habit. We also need to raise awareness of girls and young women, of the consequences of smoking in general, water-pipe in specific, on their own health, that of their spouses, families, and off-springs, many of whom could develop chronic respiratory disorders, as passive smokers in the beginning/potential smokers themselves, later on. All such efforts should be backed and supported by strong governmental commitment, to ensure success of their implementation accordingly.

Factores De Riesgo Comportamentales Asociados a Enfermedades No Transmisibles en Estudiantes Universitarios Lationamericanos: Una Revisión Sistemática

“…Este resultado no solo coincide con lo registrado en todo el mundo en la población en general, en donde la prevalencia del hábito de fumar en hombres es cinco veces mayor que en las mujeres (3), sino también con otros estudios en todo el mundo que registran valores superiores de fumadores hombres (119)(120)(121)(122)(123). Sin embargo, en Europa, al igual que en esta revisión, se encuentran también, aunque escasos, estudios que presentan prevalencias superiores en mujeres.…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Cigarette Consumption among the University of Sharjah Students

“…Although the burden of a disease attributable to smoking occurs among adults yet, the problem originates in the teenage and adolescence when the majority of smokers have their first experience with cigarettes (Polańska, Wojtysiak, Bąk-Romaniszyn, & Kaleta, 2016). western nations (19.8-46%); whereas it was estimated to be lower for females in Arab nations (0.3-7.9%) compared to western nations (13.7-31.1%) (Mandil et al, 2010). In many developing countries, the prevalence of smoking among women consistently reported to be lower than in men, where women are traditionally stigmatized for using tobacco (Lopez, Collinshaw, & Piha, 1994).…”

“…In many developing countries, the prevalence of smoking among women consistently reported to be lower than in men, where women are traditionally stigmatized for using tobacco (Lopez, Collinshaw, & Piha, 1994). Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, follow the same trend in gender differences in smoking when it comes to conventional methods of tobacco use (cigarette smoking) (Mandil et al, 2010).…”

Dokha: An Emerging Public Health Issue as a Form of Tobacco Smoking in the Middle East

“…Smoking is uncommon among women in the Arab world (Mandil et al, 2010). Smoking of shisha (water-pipe) is particularly common in Middle East (Maziak and Ward, 2004;Al-Mohamed and Amin, 2010) and the use of dohkha is prevalent in some of the Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Iran (WHO, 2010;Akl et al, 2011).…”