Abstract:

Objective · To understand current smoking status and analyze its influencing factors among university students in Shanghai, and provide reference and
guidance for further efforts of tobacco control in campus. Methods · A total of 4 816 students from 19 colleges in Shanghai were selected by stratified multi-stage cluster sampling and the sample size in each part was decided by proportion of colleges and types of specialities. Self-administered questionnaire was conducted to understand the current tobacco use and its influencing factors were analyzed. Results · The overall smoking prevalence of college students in Shanghai was 5.80%. Generally, smoking prevalence of junior college students was higher than that of undergraduates (11.27% vs 3.68%, P<0.05) and smoking prevalence of male students was higher than that of females (11.10% vs 0.95%, P<0.05). Nonsmokers endorsed higher awareness on the harm of smoking and secondhand smoking than smokers（P<0.01). Besides, nonsmokers had a more positive attitude towards tobacco control policy than smokers (P<0.01). Students who studied in the junior college, males, in the senior grade, majored in liberal arts, with higher monthly living expenses, held negative attitude in raising cigarette prices and supporting of establishing smoke-free campuses were more likely to be smokers. Conclusion · Tobacco use among university students in Shanghai deserves attention. It is necessary to carry out systematic and in-depth education to prevent and reduce smoking among the university students.

Key words: university students, smoking, current situation, influencing factor