Tobacco use and substance abuse in students of Karaj Universities

Abstract

Background:It is clear that tobacco smoking and substance abuse have negative consequences on adolescent and youth's health. Tobacco smoking especially hookah smoking has increased worldwide especially among university students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of risk-taking behaviors such as cigarette smoking, hookah smoking, alcohol use, and drug abuse and its predictors in students of Karaj universities.Methods:This cross-sectional study took place in Karaj in January and February 2014. The randomly selected sample consisted of 1959 college students. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure risk-taking behaviors as well as demographic and related risk factors. Logistic regression model was performed in data analysis.Results:The prevalence of cigarette smoking was 9.3%. The prevalence of hookah smoking was 9.3%. 7% of students used illegal drugs and 9.5% of students used alcohol at least once in last 30 days. After adjustment for other factors, being male, living without parents, having smoker friends, and presence any smoker in the family were factors associated with students’ risk-taking behaviors. The results showed the co-occurrence of risk-taking behaviors.Conclusions:The prevalence of tobacco smoking and substance abuse, particular in males, are high. It seems that planning preventive interventions for this part of the population are necessary. This study emphasized the co-occurrence of risky behaviors, so, it is better high-risk behaviors simultaneously targeted at reducing or preventing interventions.

Frequency of waterpipe smoking and its effective factors among students of state universities in Kerman, Iran

“…Investigations revealed that the frequency of waterpipe consumption among Iranian students was reported differently. Frequency of waterpipe consumption in our study is significantly lower than the results of the research conducted on the students of state universities in Tehran (40.3%) [12] and Karaj (51.2%) [13], but similar to the consumption frequency (29%) reported in the research conducted by Dehdari et al [7]. The frequency of waterpipe consumption in two studies conducted by Rezakhani Moghadam [14] (23.3%) and Taremian [15] (25.7%) on students of medical universities of Tehran and the study conducted by Rahimzadeh [11] on physical education students of Kurdistan University (24.7%) has been reported less than that of the current research.…”

“…One of the most influential factors encouraging students to consume waterpipe was friends who had a history of waterpipe consumption. This result was also reported in the research conducted by TaragiJah et al [12] in students of public universities and Kabir et al [13] among the students of Karaj University. In general, having friends with a history of waterpipe consumption is a risk factor for waterpipe consumption, and it is effective in encouraging students to consume it [26].…”

Fatores associados à iniciação tabágica em adolescentes escolares

“…The studied adolescents reported they had family members who smoke inside and outside the home and members who use other drugs. A study showed that adolescents who have parents or friends who smoke are more likely to try smoking than those who do not have parents or friends who smoke (2) . This finding reveals that adolescents are influenced by their loved ones to start smoking inside the home.…”

“…A study found that the prevalence of smoking among adolescent students is 9.3% (2) . The National School Health Survey showed that public school students (19.4%) stated they had experimented smoking with more intensity than private school students (12.6%).…”

“…Despite the current range and power of globalisation, advancements in healthcare through new studies on the subject, extensive information available on the hazards of tobacco, and the existing legislation, many young people are still interested in the world of smoking (2)(3) .…”