Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among university students in Queensland, Australia and New Zealand: results of two cross-sectional surveys (2021)

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Journal ArticlePublisher
BMJISSN
2044-6055Language
enCollections
- Health: Journal Articles [177]
Abstract
Objectives Examine the patterns of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use (vaping), the perceived harm of e-cigarettes compared with tobacco cigarettes, and associations between smoking and vaping with student characteristics. Design Cross-sectional studies. Setting The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia and eight New Zealand (NZ) universities. Participants Students at UQ: 4957 (70.8% aged <25 years, 63.0% women) and NZ: 1854 (82.5% aged <25 years, 60.1% women). Methods Χ2 tests compared smoking by age and gender, and vaping by age, gender and smoking status. Two-sided p<0.05 was considered significant and 95% CIs reported where appropriate. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between smoking and vaping (exclusive smoking, exclusive vaping, dual use and non-use) with age, gender and student type (domestic vs international). Results Smoking (UQ vs NZ, 95%CI): ever 45.2% (43.8% to 46.6%) vs 50.0% (47.7% to 52.3%), current 8.9% (8.1% to 9.7%) vs 10.4% (9.1% to 11.9%) and daily 5.2% (4.6% to 5.8%) vs 5.6% (4.6% to 6.7%), and not smoking in indoor 98.3% vs 87.7% or outdoor smoke-free spaces 83.8% vs 65.3%. Vaping (UQ vs NZ, 95%CI): ever 20.9% (19.8% to 22.1%) vs 37.6% (35.4% to 39.9%), current 1.8% (1.5% to 2.2%) vs 6.5% (5.4% to 7.7%) and daily 0.7% (0.5% to 1.0%) vs 2.5% (1.9% to 3.4%), and not vaping in indoor 91.4% vs 79.6% or outdoor smoke-free spaces 84.4% vs 71.3%. Of respondents, 71.7% (70.3% to 73.2%) vs 75.3% (72.9% to 77.6%) perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. Men were more likely than women to smoke and vape, and to believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful. Regression models containing all predictors for smoking and vaping were significant and the effect of gender was significant for dual use, exclusive smoking and exclusive vaping (all p<0.01). Men had higher odds for smoking, vaping or dual use. Conclusions Results suggest significant differences in patterns of smoking and vaping of university students in Australia and NZ, and a strong influence of gender on smoking and vaping.
Citation
Wamamili B, Lawler S, Wallace-Bell M, Gartner C, Sellars D, Grace RC, Courtney R, Coope P (2021). Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among university students in Queensland, Australia and New Zealand: results of two cross-sectional surveys. BMJ Open. 11(2). e041705-e041705.This citation is automatically generated and may be unreliable. Use as a guide only.
ANZSRC Fields of Research
42 - Health sciences::4206 - Public health::420699 - Public health not elsewhere classified42 - Health sciences::4206 - Public health::420606 - Social determinants of health
42 - Health sciences::4206 - Public health::420605 - Preventative health care
Rights
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Related items
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Cigarette smoking among university students aged 18-24 years in New Zealand: Results of the first (baseline) of two national surveys
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