Cigar smoking among college students: prevalence and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Cigar smoking is deleterious to health and point prevalence estimates suggest that rates of cigar smoking among young adults may be high. Little is known, however, about the reasons for the popularity of cigar smoking among young adults or the relationship of cigar smoking to cigarette smoking. This study documents the prevalence of cigar smoking in two samples of college students, examines the association between cigar and cigarette smoking, and investigates the hypothesis that cigar smoking is associated with a positive image of the typical cigar smoker. METHODS: Two cross-sectional surveys of college students were conducted (sample sizes = 745 and 167). RESULTS: Current cigar smoking was reported by 7 and 19% of the respondents in Studies One and Two, respectively. In both studies, cigar smoking was far more likely among men and among either former or current cigarette smokers. In Study Two, cigar smoking was associated with a positive image of the typical cigar smoker. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the popularity of cigar smoking among college students is of sufficient magnitude to be a public health concern and may be related to a positive image of the typical cigar smoker.