Nearly 80 percent of all adult smokers begin smoking by age 18; and 90 percent do so before leaving their teens. With the rise of alternate forms of tobacco (e-cigarettes, hookah, etc.) tobacco continues to be a large public health concern. Compiled here are resources to address tobacco use among college students.
Approximately 13% of college aged students (ages 18-24) smoke cigarettes
In 2015, nearly 7 in 10 adult cigarette smokers wanted to stop smoking.
...and more than 5 in 10 adult cigarette smokers had made a quit attempt in the past year
In high schools nationwide in the past 30 days, 20% reported using a tobacco product in the past 30 days
75% of Missouri college students have not used a tobacco product in the past year
Missouri college students report rates of use of tobacco products in the past year as follows (check all that apply):
Of students who use tobacco:
78% of Missouri college students support having smoke-free outdoor university areas
82% would prefer to go to a bar or restaurant that is smoke-free
Males are more likely to smoke than females (15% of U.S. adult males vs 13% of females)
Cigarette smoking is highest among American Indians and Alaskan natives and people of multiple races, and lowest among Asian Americans
Individuals living below the poverty line are nearly twice as likely to smoke as those living at or above poverty level (26% vs 14%)
The Midwest has the highest rate of cigarette smoking (almost 19% of the U.S.)
Individuals with disabilities smoke at higher rates than individuals with no disability (21% vs 14%)
Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual were more likely to be smokers than their heterosexual peers (20% vs 15%)
Click on a brief below for more information.
The CDC has a great guide on best practices for comprehensive tobacco control programs.
Tobacco Free College Campus Initiative has a wealth of resources for campuses to create policies, encourage compliance and enforcement, and more!
The Adolescent Smoking Cessation: Escaping Nicotine and Tobacco Program (ASCENT) program is listed in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices as having effective outcomes for tobacco use.
Stanford Medicine has a great online Tobacco Prevention Toolkit with lots of great information about evidence based tobacco use prevention.
Strategies to Reduce Tobacco Use