Tobacco Use Among Undergraduates in South-Western Nigeria: a Cross-Sectional Study

Tobacco use in tertiary institutions has continued to receive increased attention, especially in developing countries. This is not unconnected with the intensification of efforts by the tobacco industry to appeal to young people, many of whom are domiciled in higher institutions of learning. In describing the burden of tobacco use and advocating for stronger tobacco control efforts, this study aimed to explore the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduates in two universities in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria. This study was a cross-sectional study that used interviewer-assisted questionnaires to obtain information from 1200 undergraduates via a multistage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. The analysis included descriptive as well as chi-square statistics andp < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. There were 646 (53.8%) males and 554 (46.2%) females, with a male-female ratio of 1.16 to 1.0. Their mean age was 21.6 (+/- 3.1) years with a range of 16-43 years. The prevalence rate of current smoking was significantly (X-2 = 11.64,p = 0.001) lower among medical students (0.5%) compared with other students (9.4%). The mean age at initiation of smoking among respondents was 16 (+ 2.4) years (range 8-25 years). Furthermore, 73.9% of current smokers had started smoking by their eighteenth birthday. Respondents smoked 7.7 (+/- 4.2) cigarettes daily, with a range of 1-21 cigarettes per day. There was a significant association between sex, level of study, and current smoking status. In the private university, more males 20.9% were current smokers than the females 4.3% (p < 0.001). Similarly, in the public university, more males 12.9% were current smokers than females 2.6% (p < 0.001). There is the need to be proactive and initiate primary prevention interventions in early adolescence while continuing to intensify tobacco control efforts within tertiary institutions to reduce the morbidity and mortality from tobacco-related illnesses, in Nigeria.