Tobacco use by samples of american and Turkish students: a cross-cultural study

Tobacco use is a world-wide problem with a significant impact on the health and well-being of many people. To design an effective smoking education program, it is important to understand smoking patterns and factors associated with this additive habit from a cross-cultural perspective. The purpose of this study was to investigate some of the patterns of and certain factors associated with smoking and chewing tobacco behavior among the students of the United States and Turkey. A questionnaire, designed, reviewed, and revised by experts, was administered to a representative sample of 450 college students in a major public university in the United States. It was then translated and reviewed by bilingual authorities. The investigator administered the questionnaire to a sample of 450 representative college students in a counterpart public university in Turkey. The results indicate that a significant number of college students in both countries use tobacco. The patterns of smoking and various factors associated with tobacco use, however, are different in the two cultures. It was concluded that international health education programs which are sensitive to cultural differences are the key to ultimately eliminating this major health crisis.