Tobacco, Depression, and Lifestyle Choices in the Pivotal Early College Years

The author explored the correlates of tobacco use among 18- and 19-year-old students at a major midwestern university. A sample of 203 randomly selected freshmen and sophomore students completed a survey that included questions about tobacco use, other drug use, mental health issues, eating disorders, stress, smoking environment, and healthy lifestyles. The prevalence rate for tobacco use was 29% for the past year and 32% for the past month. Multivariate analyses suggested that students with a lifetime diagnosis of depression or treatment for depression were 7 times as likely as other students to use tobacco. In addition, marijuana and alcohol use and weekend exposure to smoke increased the likelihood of being a tobacco user. Stress and diet behaviors were found not to be significantly associated with tobacco use. Implications for health promotion among high school and college populations are drawn from the study findings.