Tobacco consumption and motives for use in Mexican university students

Increased tobacco consumption, especially among adolescents and females, has been observed recently in Mexico. The goal of this study is to describe tobacco consumption and motives for use among university students. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed using data provided by 282 students aged 15-24 studying at the University of Guadalajara's University Center for Health Sciences (CUCS). A validated online survey was applied. The study was voluntary, anonymous, and confidential; 65.5% of respondents were 20-24 years of age (65.4% were females). Students in the upper-middle socioeconomic level comprised 64.5% of respondents; 22.3% of students had smoked during the previous month, and 22% felt a deep need to smoke during the past year. The motives for smoking varied. Dealing with problematic emotional behavior was the reason given by 75.6% of smokers; 20.7% of smokers claimed their smoking was a reasoned action, as they had healthy friends who smoked. Motives for not smoking also varied; that smoking was harmful was cited by 47.7% of respondents. The view that smoking was a problematic form of behavior was held by 46.2% of nonsmokers; 29% of students had no access to cigarettes. No differences in response frequencies were found between males and females.