Exploring the characteristics of Filipino university students as concurrent smokers and drinkers

As two unique and independent variables, smoking and alcohol drinking among university students have been substantively examined in systematic research. Despite evidence showing that they are linked, in that both are complementary and have common causes, smoking and drinking are not well understood as concurrent behaviors in university students. Data suggest that there are high numbers of students who both smoke and drink, or who are smokers–drinkers. Information as to who among these students are more inclined to smoke–drink is important for risk-reduction research and program development. Using survey data and logistic regression analysis, this study explores a set of characteristics of Filipino university students who smoke–drink. Our analysis explored the associations between the dependent variable (i.e., smoking-drinking) and eight independent variables (i.e., age, sex, religion, weekly allowance, grade-point average, physical exercise, level of closeness with parents, and level of closeness with peers). Results revealed that the Filipino university students who smoked–drank tended to be older, male, and Catholic; to have a big weekly allowance, a low grade-point average, and a strenuous exercise; and to have a low level of closeness with their parents, and a high level of closeness with their peers. Among these characteristics, age, weekly allowance, and level of closeness with peers were the most important. Sex was not a correlate. These findings need testing and validation in other local university student samples, using predictors with more nuanced measures, and other independent variables. Data are intended to trigger local discourses towards the development of research and intervention on university students’ lifestyle activities. © 2017 by De La Salle University