Cigarette Smoking Prevalence and Awareness of Health Problems of Tobacco Use Among University Students in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The use of tobacco products is a significant health issue in the world, and it is a leading cause of avoidable morbidity and mortality. Social, psychological and environmental factors have all been found to play a role in cigarette smoking among young adults, especially among the university students. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of cigarette smoking and the level of knowledge and awareness of health risks caused by tobacco use among the state university students. This study adopts a descriptive cross-sectional, and the target population is undergraduate and postgraduate students. Cochran formula is used to calculate the sample size and participants were selected using a multi-stage method of sampling. A structured questionnaire is use for data collection via online social media channels like WhatsApp and Facebook via Google forms. The questionnaire is use to obtain data on socio-demographics, smoking behaviour and health risk awareness. SPSS is use to analyze data, and descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics were applied where necessary. This research indicate that 76% of the total number of students had smoked at some point, half were now regular smokers, and 64 percent of the sample smoked socially. Knowledge regarding key health risks was mostly good, with 84% having heard of lung cancer and 78% having heard of heart disease as effects of tobacco consumption. The reproductive health effect awareness was moderate (66%), with awareness of second-hand smoke and shortened life expectancy being high. Finally, cigarette Experimentation and social smoking is widespread among university students, in spite of the fact they are usually well informed about the dangers. These outcomes demonstrate the necessity of a multidimensional health education, campus-wide cessation programmes, and a stringent policy implementation to decrease the prevalence of smoking and to make university environments healthier.