Studies show rise in college-age smokers
By Jaime Levi | September 23, 1999When University students light up, they join the growing ranks of about four million college-aged smokers throughout the country. Although smoking is not a new phenomenon at colleges and universities, many health care professionals are worried to see increasing numbers of college students who smoke. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that the number of smokers at 116 colleges rose by 28 percent between 1993 and 1997. At the University, a survey conducted by the Department of Psychiatric Medicine in the spring shows 34.8 percent of University students reported using tobacco in the last 30 days, with 15.4 percent having done so on 40 or more occasions. These statistics alarm many in the health care profession. "This is a crucial pressing issue that continues ... on all college campuses," said Susan Tate, director for Health Promotion at the Elson Student Health Center.
