Social Determinants of Smoking Among Young Adults in Jordanian Universities

Smoking remains a major public health challenge worldwide. This study explores a key aspect and a significant contributor to the smoking habits of young adults who are university students, which is the influence of family and friends. This study helps to organize more targeted health campaigns for smoking cessation and provides a more in-depth look at the psychology of smokers.

This study employs a cross-sectional design. The questionnaire encompassed four sections: demographics, smoking history, reasons for smoking and quitting, and social and family influence.

Of all the participants, 24.8% were identified as current smokers. The results showed that the strongest predictor linked to smoking was having smoking friends, with an odds ratio of 5.05 (p<0.001), followed by the family's behavior toward smoking, with an odds ratio of 3.53 (p<0.001). Additionally, around 40.0% of smokers reported being dependent. Only 15.2% of smokers reported a frequent exposure to public health campaigns.

The study demonstrates essential factors that contribute to smoking behaviors; one of them is friends who are smokers. Additionally, the lack of public health campaigns is a concern. Therefore, public health interventions targeting smoking cessation are recommended. Further studies can target the effect of public health interventions on the attitudes of smokers.