Smoking in a New Zealand university student sample

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of smoking in the University of Otago student population, and to compare estimates with those for university students in other countries, and with other similarly aged youth in New Zealand.

In 2002, 1910 randomly selected University of Otago students were invited to complete an Internet survey, and 1564 (82%) of these students responded.

Daily smoking was reported by 10% of both women and men. A further 10% of women and 9% of men reported occasional smoking. Daily smoking was reported by 16% of Maori women and 9% of Maori men.

Daily smoking was uncommon among University of Otago students relative to the general New Zealand population aged 15-24 years. Moreover, rates were lower than those recorded for students in other developed countries and appear to have decreased over the last decade. Smoking among Maori women, in particular, is a priority area for intervention.