ERIC Number: EJ1473111
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Initial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tobacco Use among College Students in California
Bhagvat J. Maheta1; Afroze Khan2; Samantha Skinner3; Melanie S. Dove4
Journal of American College Health, v73 n2 p658-663 2025
Objective: To evaluate the change in tobacco use by college students in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Young adults (18-24 years) currently enrolled in a California college or university (N = 212). Methods: Students recruited through social media posts and by student tobacco advocate members completed an online survey of 59 questions in Spring 2021. Results: Almost 80% of current tobacco users reported a change in tobacco use during the pandemic. Most current tobacco users who changed their tobacco use reported an increase in use during the pandemic (43.2%) and 38.7% reported a decrease in use. Conclusion: As a result of COVID-19, many college students changed their tobacco use. As students return to campus and COVID-19 regulations are lifted, this may be an ideal time for prevention and cessation messages, which could include information on health risks associated with tobacco and e-cigarette use, and healthy methods for stress reduction.
Descriptors: Smoking, College Students, COVID-19, Pandemics, Behavior Change, Health Behavior, Student Characteristics, Student Attitudes, Stress Management, Psychological Patterns, Peer Influence, Family Influence, Mass Media Effects
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, California, USA; 2Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA; 3Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA; 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA