Smoking is a major public health issue in the United States, and college students make up one of the largest populations of smokers in the country. Tobacco companies often use advertising to target college students, and many students who begin smoking in college continue to do so throughout their adult lives. However, smoking prevention efforts aimed at college students are not always successful.
History
In 1981, about 8 percent of college students smoked, but by 1998, the number had risen to more than 28 percent, according to a report from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program.
Causes
Researchers from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program say that factors such as stress, peer pressure, low self-esteem and a desire to not gain weight all contribute to the high number of college students who smoke.
Statistics
A 2008 survey by the American College Health Association found that 16 percent of college students had smoked in the previous 30 days, and that 66 percent had never smoked.
Regulations
A 2001 study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that smoking was banned in public spaces on 80 percent of college campuses, but only 27 percent banned smoking in dorms.
Prevention/Solution
Education efforts and programs that help smokers quit are an important part of anti-smoking education, but in 2001 only 40 percent of colleges offered any smoking cessation program, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Quitting
According to the American Cancer Society, 50 percent of college students who smoke tried, and failed, to quit in the previous year.
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