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

Introduction 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 C...

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Main Authors: Mark J.M. Sullman, Maria E. Gras, Jiawei D. Hughes, Ioulia Papageorgi, Fran Calvo, Sílvia Font-Mayolas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Publishing 2024-11-01
Series:Tobacco Induced Diseases
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Online Access:https://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.org/Reasons-for-cigarette-and-tobacco-product-use-dual-use-and-poly-use-among-university,195379,0,2.html
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author Mark J.M. Sullman
Maria E. Gras
Jiawei D. Hughes
Ioulia Papageorgi
Fran Calvo
Sílvia Font-Mayolas
author_facet Mark J.M. Sullman
Maria E. Gras
Jiawei D. Hughes
Ioulia Papageorgi
Fran Calvo
Sílvia Font-Mayolas
author_sort Mark J.M. Sullman
collection DOAJ
description Introduction 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. Methods 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 chisquared tests, and effect sizes were computed using the phi (φ) coefficient. Results 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. Conclusions 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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spelling doaj-art-dea69d9f5e874a19adfa10dd45ce8f092024-12-31T20:03:23ZengEuropean PublishingTobacco Induced Diseases1617-96252024-11-0122November11110.18332/tid/195379195379Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university studentsMark J.M. Sullman0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7920-6818Maria E. Gras1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4765-0871Jiawei D. Hughes2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4158-444XIoulia Papageorgi3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8566-2457Fran Calvo4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0300-8548Sílvia Font-Mayolas5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4216-3604Department of Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, CyprusQuality of Life Research Institute, Universitat de Girona, Girona, SpainDepartment of Creative Arts Therapies, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United StatesSchool of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, CyprusQuality of Life Research Institute, Universitat de Girona, Girona, SpainQuality of Life Research Institute, Universitat de Girona, Girona, SpainIntroduction 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. Methods 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 chisquared tests, and effect sizes were computed using the phi (φ) coefficient. Results 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. Conclusions 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.https://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.org/Reasons-for-cigarette-and-tobacco-product-use-dual-use-and-poly-use-among-university,195379,0,2.htmlpolytobacco usereasonse-cigaretteswaterpipeyoung adults
spellingShingle Mark J.M. Sullman
Maria E. Gras
Jiawei D. Hughes
Ioulia Papageorgi
Fran Calvo
Sílvia Font-Mayolas
Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
Tobacco Induced Diseases
polytobacco use
reasons
e-cigarettes
waterpipe
young adults
title Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
title_full Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
title_fullStr Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
title_full_unstemmed Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
title_short Reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use, dual use, and poly use among university students
title_sort reasons for cigarette and tobacco product use dual use and poly use among university students
topic polytobacco use
reasons
e-cigarettes
waterpipe
young adults
url https://www.tobaccoinduceddiseases.org/Reasons-for-cigarette-and-tobacco-product-use-dual-use-and-poly-use-among-university,195379,0,2.html
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