Cigarette smoking and habits (1): Some studies on gender and smoking patterns among University of Brighton business students

Cigarette smoking is an intense growing habit among today's youth. A survey using a structured questionnaire was carried out among 100 randomly picked second year students of University of Brighton, approved by a University of Brighton Ethical Committee. It was tested for reliability to ensure consistency using the Test Re-test method. The population under study was two classes of business students. Out of 100 students, 47 were male and 53, female. Also, from the same 100, 51 were non-smokers, 29 were smokers, and 20, ex-smokers. The number of cigarette smoked per day by smokers was higher than ex-smokers. Major smoking patterns followed trend: When using alcohol (mean=3.16)> When out with friends (mean=2.82)> When stressed (mean=2.80) > After meal (mean=2.15). Main reason for ex-smokers stopping smoking is to improve their health (mean=3.10). The public, school guidance counsellors, researchers and medical personnel will benefit from this study.