Cigarette smoking initiation during college predicts future alcohol involvement: a matched-samples study

Area of Science:

• Addiction Research
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The relationship between initiating cigarette smoking and subsequent alcohol involvement in college students is not well understood.
• This study investigates alcohol use patterns in students who begin smoking during college compared to their non-smoking peers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between cigarette smoking initiation and increased alcohol consumption among college undergraduates.
• To explore the mediating role of exposure to smoking situations in this relationship.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study of 104 Chinese American and Korean American undergraduates who were never smokers at baseline (freshman year).
• Participants were assessed annually for cigarette smoking status and alcohol use over their college careers.
• Matching criteria included gender, ethnicity, baseline alcohol use, parental smoking, and behavioral undercontrol.

Main Results:

• Smoking initiators showed significantly greater increases in total drinks consumed and higher prevalence of heavy drinking episodes.
• Exposure to smoking situations partially mediated the effect of smoking initiation on increased alcohol consumption.
• Recent smoking independently predicted increased alcohol consumption.

Conclusions:

• Initiating cigarette smoking during college is a risk factor for escalated alcohol involvement.
• Environmental factors, such as exposure to social smoking contexts, partially explain this increased risk.
• Interventions addressing smoking initiation may also mitigate risks for heavier alcohol use.