Why people start smoking in college.

PositionTobacco

While smoking rates have declined dramatically in the U.S. over the past 40 years, adults ages 18 to 24 continue to smoke more than any other age group, notes Mimi Nichter--professor of anthropology with joint faculty appointments in public health and family and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona, Tucson--in Lighting Up: The Rise of Social Smoking on College Campuses. "About 20% of smokers initiate smoking in college. There are many surveys done continually on smoking, yet there are few studies that look at the social utility and meaning of smoking to young people and how they talk about smoking."

Nichter's book examines the trend of "social smoking" on college campuses, which she also refers to as "weekend smoking" or "party smoking." While a pack-a-day style of smoking is not common as it once was, social smoking remains prevalent in college.

These types of smokers tend to smoke occasionally--often while drinking alcohol at parties or other social gatherings. Despite their habit, they usually do not consider themselves smokers. "I smoke but I'm not really a smoker" was a common response. "If you ask a party smoker on a survey, 'Do you consider yourself a smoker?' they'll say no. Over 50% of people who do smoke at some level don't consider themselves smokers."

This finding calls into question some of what we know from survey data about smoking on college campuses, Nichter maintains. "I think that survey research is very important but, when we consider that people don't report that they are smoking, it becomes all the more important to understand why people smoke and the social contexts in which it is considered appropriate."

Some of the most common reasons students start to smoke in college are what one might expect: they say it will help them meet people, fit In with a group, or make them look more relaxed and laid back. Most of the social smokers Nichter interviewed dismissed the behavior as "no big deal," with some suggesting that alcohol and cigarettes are a combination as natural as milk and cookies or peanut butter and jelly.

The problem with that thinking is that smoking can be addictive even at very low levels. "Most people who smoke...

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