Determining Factors Affecting Cigarette Use of Students: The Case of Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting cigarette use of the students at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey. The research data were collected from 384 students who answered the questionnaires. The chisquare test was used to determine the differences between smokers and non-smokers, and the t-test was used to compare group averages. Factors affecting cigarette use of students were determined by binary logistic regression analysis. The results of the research showed that male students used more cigarettes than females. Cigarette use increased after university, especially in the second and third years. The educational level and cigarette use habits of the parents affected students smoking behavior. According to the results of the model the most important factors affecting cigarette use were smoking permission situation in the student resident, smoking status of the mother, gender, and age of the student. In order to reduce cigarette use of students, besides taking legal measures, Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Education, and non-governmental organizations have to collaborate, build mutual prevention programs to raise public awareness