Intention to quit smoking and polytobacco use among college student smokers

Little is known about polytobacco use in college students. One nationally representative survey indicated 51.3% of tobacco-using college students used more than one product, which may increase risk of tobacco-related disease and premature death. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of intention to quit smoking (ITQS) cigarettes with polytobacco use status, controlling for frequency of tobacco product use and cigarette smoking intensity as measured by cigarettes per day (CPD). Data are from a larger quasi-experimental study conducted at a large state university in the Southeastern United States. Analysis is based on the combined sample of current smokers from two randomly selected cohorts surveyed two months apart. Polytobacco users (n = 52) were as likely as cigarette-only users (n = 81) to intend to quit smoking. Compared to students who used tobacco products 1-9 days per month, students using 10-29 days per month or daily reported higher ITQS. Higher intensity smokers (>10 CPD) were 71% less likely to indicate ITQS, compared to lower intensity smokers (≤10 CPD) (p = .025). College student polytobacco users were as likely as those using only cigarettes to intend to quit smoking. Interventions are needed to target college student polytobacco users as well as cigarette smokers as both groups may intend to quit. Smokers using 10 or fewer CPD and those who use tobacco products daily or 10-29 days per month may be more motivated to quit than college students who smoke with more intensity but who use tobacco products less frequently.