97-07-14 Undergrads Smoke More Than Other OSU Groups

AT OHIO STATE, UNDERGRADUATES SMOKE THE MOST, SURVEY SAYS

     COLUMBUS -- Undergraduate students are more likely to smoke
than members of any other groups at The Ohio State University,
according to a recent survey.  The survey also revealed why many
people may go on smoking despite the health risks: they are
possibly afraid of gaining weight.

     The 1997 Ohio State poll -- which surveyed more than 1,200
faculty, staff, and students -- showed that within the
university, people with more education smoke less.  About 19
percent of undergraduates smoke, followed by staff (16 percent),
graduate students (8 percent), and faculty (5 percent).

     “It may seem like a small percentage,” said Kasisomayajula
Viswanath, associate professor of journalism, communication, and
public health.  “But 19 percent of the undergraduate student
population at Ohio State is more than 7,300 people.  This is one
of the largest campuses in the country, and we draw people from a
wide range of backgrounds.  So if you assume that undergraduates
at Ohio State are similar to other college-age populations in the
country -- definitely similar to populations at other colleges in
the state of Ohio -- then the implications are profound.”

     While smoking is on the decline nationwide, young people are
less likely to quit than older people.  “We have a population of
older people who are in the process of quitting, and a large
population of young people who are not,” Viswanath said.

     “These people are starting very early, at age 12, 13, or 14,
so the average age of initiation is coming down,” he continued.
“It’s not that these undergraduates came to Ohio State and
started smoking.  Most of them started long before they came to
college.”

     Viswanath and co-investigator Paul Lavrakas, professor of
journalism and communication and public policy and management,
found that smokers are hesitant to admit that they fear gaining
weight if they quit.

     “They won’t admit that publicly,” Viswanath said.  “So
instead of asking them directly, we asked them indirectly.  We
asked our sample if they thought it was likely that other smokers
do not quit because they are afraid of gaining weight.  And four
out of five smokers agreed with that statement.”

     More women (77 percent) than men (67 percent) agreed with
the statement.  And of the undergraduates polled, 100 percent of
the freshman women who are smokers agreed.

      “I don’t think it’s a case of people starting to smoke to
lose weight.  But it is conceivable that the fear of gaining
weight may be acting as a deterrent that prevents them from
quitting,” said Viswanath.

     Currently, Viswanath is studying the effect that portrayals
of extremely thin women in the media have on body image of
American women.  In the future, he’d like to investigate how
perceptions of an ideal body weight influence smoking in women.

     Overall, only 12 percent of people in the Ohio State
community smoke.  According to the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), 26 percent of the general Ohio population smoked in 1994,
and the national average was 25.5 percent.

     “We are an average state when it comes to smoking,” said
Viswanath.  “The interesting thing is, if you look at a state
like Utah for instance, the smoking incidence is low, but it’s
got a small population to start. Ohio has one of the largest
populations -- we rank seventh in population among the 50 states
with 11.2 million residents. So if 25 percent of the adults are
smoking, we are talking about very large numbers.”

     Viswanath pointed out that if 25 percent of Ohio’s
population continues to smoke, the long-term economic impact to
health care will be very serious.  In 1990, the CDC determined
that Ohio spent over $1.6 billion in direct medical costs related
to smoking that year.

                             #

Contact: Kasisomayajula Viswanath, (614) 292-1319; Vish+@osu.edu
         Paul Lavrakas, (614) 292-6672; Lavrakas.1@osu.edu

Written by Pam Frost, (614) 292-9475; Frost.18@osu.edu


[Submitted by: Von Vargas  (vargas.12@osu.edu)
               
Mon, 14 Jul 1997 10:38:52 -0400 (EDT)]
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