Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2023 Sep;79(9):3456-3472.
doi: 10.1111/jan.15665. Epub 2023 Mar 28.

Transitions in smoking status in nursing students: A prospective longitudinal study

Kenza Laroussy  1   2   3 , Yolanda Castellano  1   2   4 , Marcela Fu  1   2   3 , Antoni Baena  1   2   5 , Ariadna Feliu  1   2   4 , Armando Peruga  1   2   6 , Mercè Margalef  1   2 , Jon Aldazabal  1   2 , Olena Tigova  1   2   3 , Jordi Galimany  3 , Montserrat Puig  3 , Carmen Moreno  3 , Albert Bueno  7 , Antonio López  8 , Judith Roca  9 , Judith Saura  1   2   3 , Esteve Fernández  1   2   10 , Cristina Martínez  1   2   3
Affiliations
Free article
Observational Study

Transitions in smoking status in nursing students: A prospective longitudinal study

Kenza Laroussy et al. J Adv Nurs. 2023 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Aim: To describe transitions in smoking status and their determining factors among nursing students between baseline (2015-2016) and follow-up (2018-2019).

Design: Observational prospective longitudinal study of 4381 nursing students in Catalonia (Spain).

Methods: We examined transitions in smoking status from: (i) current smokers to recent quitters, (ii) never smokers to new smokers and (iii) former smokers to quitters who relapsed. We fitted logistic regression models to assess the predictors of quitting smoking.

Results: The proportion of current smokers decreased from 29.7% at baseline to 23.6% at follow-up, with a cumulative incidence rate of quitting of 28.3% during follow-up. Nondaily smokers were more likely to quit than daily smokers. Of those who were never smokers at baseline, 4.6% were smokers at follow-up, and 23.2% of former smokers at baseline had relapsed at follow-up.

Conclusions: Nondaily smokers were more likely to have quit smoking at follow-up among this cohort of nursing students. The early implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control program that includes tobacco-free campus policies, tobacco prevention interventions and cessation support during college years may decrease tobacco use among nursing students.

Impact: Nursing students' tobacco use is concerning, as they are the future workforce of nurses who have a key role in tobacco product use prevention and cessation. During college years, nursing students have a greater likelihood of experimenting with several smoking status changes as well as to consolidate smoking behaviors. This is the first longitudinal study to highlight the factors associated with quitting smoking among a cohort of Spanish nursing students. Being a nondaily smoker at baseline predicted quitting at follow-up. Our findings support the early implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control program that includes tobacco-free campus policies, tobacco prevention interventions and tobacco cessation support during college years to decrease tobacco product use prevalence among nursing students.

Reporting method: We have adhered to STROBE guidelines. No Patient or Public Contribution. This observational study has not been registered.

Keywords: longitudinal studies; nursing students; smoking; smoking cessation; tobacco use; young adult.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Alamar, B., & Glantz, S. A. (2006). Effect of increased social unacceptability of cigarette smoking on reduction in cigarette consumption. American Journal of Public Health, 96(8), 1359-1363. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.069617
    1. American College Health Association. (2022). American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III: Reference group report. ACHA. http://www.acha-ncha.org
    1. American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. (2008). Steps for enacting a smokefree college campus policy. http://nosmoke.org
    1. Berg, C. J., Haardörfer, R., Lanier, A., Childs, D., Foster, B., Getachew, B., & Windle, M. (2020). Tobacco use trajectories in young adults: Analyses of predictors across systems levels. Nicotine & Tobacco Research: Official Journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 22(11), 2075-2084. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa048
    1. Berg, C. J., Stratton, E., Sokol, M., Santamaria, A., Bryant, L., & Rodriguez, R. (2014). Novel incentives and messaging in an online college smoking intervention. American Journal of Health Behavior, 38(5), 668-680. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.38.5.4

Publication types