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Main Page Contact Michelle Gordon, 912.961.3173 For Immediate Release Study Shows College Age Smokers Most Influenced by FriendsSavannah, GA-January 3, 2006-College age students in the Savannah metropolitan area are most influenced by their closest friends when it comes to determining their smoking patterns, according to a recent study conducted by the Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) Center for Regional Analysis. The Chatham Effingham Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition commissioned the study in an effort to improve smoking prevention and cessation programs in our area. The impact of friends on smoking patterns was the clearest and strongest finding to emerge from the study that surveyed 661 students from AASU, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Savannah State University. If an individual's closest friends all smoke, the study shows there is an 83 percent chance he will smoke. Conversely, if the closest friends do not smoke, there is only a 3 percent chance he will smoke. Of those surveyed, 20 percent described themselves as smokers. Another important finding that came forth from the study was that five out of six of these smokers want to quit, and nearly half want to quit within six months. The study reports that college-age smokers in the Savannah area quit regularly, but do not succeed. It further shows that many smokers are looking for a viable cessation program. The authors of the report suggest that youth-oriented cessation programs that target peer groups (rather than individuals) might meet with more success. The study points out the typical 15 to 19 year-old in Savannah experiments with tobacco for up to five years before becoming a regular smoker. This makes the start of college an ideal time for smokers to participate in cessation programs. This is a time when smokers are on the fence and can be pulled back from making the decision to become regular smokers. The study also evaluated smoking rates by gender and ethnicity, knowledge and attitudes about campus policies, the correlation of academic discipline and smoking, and the influence of family on the respondents' smoking patterns. To review the complete report, visit www.econ.armstrong.edu/cra/projects.htm. |
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