Cigarette smoking among students of Bandar Abbas medical sciences university, 2007

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is an unhealthy behavior that hazards society health and imposes considerable expenses on the community. Paying attention to this behavior in the adolescents and young individuals is extremely momentous due to identity formation. This survey was conducted to evaluate cigarette smoking and its etiology in students of Bandar Abbas University. Methods: A total number of 200 students were selected via random cluster sampling from Bandar Abbas University. Data collection was met by a questionnaire consisting of demographic data and information related to smoking habits. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Results: Results show that 9%, 12% and 20.5% of students had experienced cigarette, hookah or both, respectively. There was a smoker in family members of 34.5% of students. The most principal factors in cigarette smoking were as follows: entertainment and amusement (29%), association with smoker friends (13.5%) and easy accessibility (10.5%). According to Chi-square test, there was a significant correlation between cigarette smoking and age, sex and presence of a smoker in the family. Conclusion: Healthy behaviors are being acquired, though they are educatable and changeable. One of the appropriate policies in smoking prevention is information adolescents and young individuals about disadvantages of smoking.