Abstract

Objectives: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the attitude of Kerman universities male students toward cigarettes and its relation to their demographic, social, and family variables were evaluated.

Method: 558 male students of Kerman universities were selected through random-cluster samp-ling and 460 of them who responded completely to the questionnaires were evaluated. Data were collected via an researcher-constructed questionnaire and then analyzed by descriptive-statistical methods and Kruskal-Wallis statistical test.

Findings: The assessed attitude scores ranged between 29 and 117. The mean scores per attitude statement fluctuated between 0.7 and 1.5. Amongst the 29 attitude statements, the highest mean score (3.43) was related to the statement “Easy access to cigarettes is a reason for smoking”. After that, the following statements placed second and third respectively: “Non-smokers too experience much of harmful consequences of cigarette smoking” (3.41) and  "Rather than prohibiting  cigarettes, it is better to reduce its harmful effects” (2.65). This appraisal yielded a significant difference bet-ween the respondents in the variables: level of education, purchasing cigarettes for parents, and believing in harmfulness of cigarettes to health. There was not a significant difference observed in the variables: father’s occupation, father’s level of education, mother’s level of education, and mother’s smoking. The variables “friend’s smoking” and “friends encouraging to smoke” too indi- cated significant statistical difference. There was not a significant difference found regarding the place of education (university), age, mother’s occupation, father’s smoking, siblings’ smoking, the number of smoking professors, age and place of smoking the first cigarette, and reasons for smoking.

Results: Some of the students’ demographic specifics are related to their attitude toward cigarette smoking.