Use of tobacco and tobacco products in university students and associated factors

Introduction and Aim: Although smoking ranks first among the preventable causes of death, it is quite common both in the world and in our country. There is a need to investigate the demographic and psychosocial factors affecting smoking. It is thought that excessive anxiety and stress increase the use of tobacco and tobacco products in university students due to many problems such as leaving home and family, adapting to a new environment, being a candidate for a profession. In some studies on university students; it has been shown that students who have the habit of doing sports have less smoking habits. The aim of this study; to investigate the use of tobacco and tobacco products and related factors among university students, and to determine the attitudes towards sports in people who use and do not use tobacco and tobacco products. Method: The method of the research is descriptive and cross-sectional. The research was carried out with the online survey method and students studying at Harran University Osmanbey Campus in 2022 were included. Stratified sampling method from 4 different faculties was used as the sampling method. Data evaluation form to question sociodemographic characteristics, University Students' Attitudes towards Sports Scale (SYTS) and Assessment of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) were used to obtain data. The analysis of the data obtained from the participants was evaluated with appropriate statistical methods in the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) program. The Independent Sample T Test was used to compare the means of two independent groups, and the One Way ANOVA test was used to compare the means of more than two groups. Pearson Correlation test was used to examine the relationship between quantitative variables. In addition, the significance value of p<0.05 was taken as a basis for all results. Results: Of the 643 participants, 56.6% (n=364) were female and 43.4% (n:279) were male. Of the participants, 29.4% (n=189) were students of the Faculty of Medicine, 23.6% (n=152) were students of the Faculty of Education, 20.5% (n=132) were students of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, % 26.4 (n=170) of them were Engineering Faculty students. While 25.8% (n=166) of the students stated that they used tobacco and tobacco products, 74.3% (n=477) stated that they did not use it. X There is a significant difference between those who currently use tobacco and tobacco products and those who do not (p=0.030), and those who do not use tobacco products have a more positive attitude towards sports than those who do. No significant relationship was found between the FTND score and the SYTS score (p>0.05), no difference was observed between the degree of nicotine addiction and the attitude towards sports. When the age at which students first tried to smoke was asked, 12.05% (n=20) of the participants were between the ages of 7-12, 45.78% (n=76) were between the ages of 13-17 and 42.17% ( n=70) stated that they tried it between the ages of 18-24. When the reasons for starting iron products were examined, 15,66% (n=26) were due to curiosity/intention, 13.86% (n=23) were due to tobacco use by their family or friends, 12.65% (n=21) ) due to family problems, 25.30% (n=42) because of friend environment, 22.29% (n=37) because of future anxiety, 10.24% (n=17) could not find an activity to do in their spare time they stated that they started. When the effects of anxiety and stress factors on students' tobacco use were examined, 18.02% (n=20) found no effect, 12.6% (n=14) had some effect, 30.63% (n=34) had a large effect. 38.74% (n=43) stated that it had too much effect. The Fagerström Nicotine Addiction Scale average score applied to students using tobacco was 2.57 (min=0, max=6), and it was determined that nicotine addiction was low in students who used tobacco. The average of the total score of the Attitude Scale towards Sports, which was applied to all the participants, was determined as 86.12 (min=22, max=110). Conclusion: In this study, in which we investigated the use of tobacco and tobacco products and their attitudes towards sports among university students, it was found that the rate of using tobacco products was significantly lower in those with positive attitudes towards sports. It is noteworthy that most of the participants who use tobacco use it due to anxiety and stress. It was observed that positive attitudes towards sports were associated with negative attitudes towards smoking, but the attitude towards sports was not related to the level of addiction. In the light of this study data, integrating the necessary trainings into the curricula, increasing the sports activities that are known to have an important role in coping with stress, and encouraging students, even before the individuals are introduced to tobacco and tobacco products, in the university period when anxiety increases for many reasons, and in all health institutions, especially in primary care. We believe that the effective provision of consultancy services on the subject will have positive effects on the protection and development of health. Keywords: Tobacco, Sports, Attitude towards sports, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, Nicotine Addiction