Abstract:
Background: Cigarette smoking is a modern health hazard, and it is pre ventable. It starts in adolescence for 90% of adults with an average age of on set ranging between 13 - 15 years and is commoner among males. This study
is aimed at the prevalence, pattern, and factors affecting Cigarette smoking
among undergraduate students in a tertiary institution in Plateau State. Me thod: A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 290 undergraduate stu dents of the University of Jos was selected using the multistage sampling me thod. Results: The prevalence of cigarette use was 5.3%. Seven (70.0%) of
students smoke daily, 6 (60.0%), smoke cigarettes before Lecture Hours, and
90.0% are unwilling to stop smoking. Smoking was done to experience the
highness feeling, 8 (80.0%), peer smoking 8 (80.0%), to reduce stress and ten sion 5 (50.0%), and Smoking for Fun 7 (70.0%). Most students first smoked a
cigarette when with friends 6 (60.0%). Factors significantly associated with
the current use of cigarettes among the respondents were religion (χ
2 = 4.167,
p = 0.041) Level/year of study (χ
2 = 32.266, p ≤ 0.001), and type of family (χ
2
= 6.271, p = 0.043). Conclusion: Most students smoke daily, smoke before
lectures start, and are unwilling to stop smoking. Health-promotion program
to help smoking cessation and prevent initiation of smoking is recommended.
