Determining correlates of the average number of cigarette smoking among college students using count regression models.

College students, as a large part of young adults, are a vulnerable group to several risky behaviors including smoking and drug abuse. This study aimed to utilize and to compare count regression models to identify correlates of cigarette smoking among college students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted on students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. The Poisson, negative binomial, generalized Poisson, exponentiated-exponential geometric regression models and their zero-inflated counterparts were fitted and compared using the Vuong test (α = 0.05). A number of 1258 students participated in this study. The majority of students were female (60.8%) and their average age was 23 years. Most of the students were non-smokers (84.6%). Negative binomial regression was selected as the most appropriate model for analyzing the data (comparable fit and simpler interpretation). The significant correlates of the number of cigarettes smoked per day included gender (male: incident-rate-ratio (IRR = 9.21), birth order (Forth: IRR = 1.99), experiencing a break-up (IRR = 2.11), extramarital sex (heterosexual (IRR = 2.59), homosexual (IRR = 3.13) vs. none), and drug abuse (IRR = 5.99). Our findings revealed that several high-risk behaviors were associated with the intensity of smoking, suggesting that these behaviors should be considered in smoking cessation intervention programs for college students.

Prevalence and Predictors of Water Pipe (Shisha) use among Iranian High School Children

Introduction: Water pipe use is becoming increasingly common among Iranian adolescents. This study examined the prevalence and predictors of water pipe use among public high schoolchildren aged 14-17 in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade public high schoolchildren in Sanadaj City, capital of Kurdistan province of Iran during the academic year 2012-2013. Cluster sampling was used to select a sample from 8 public high schools. The data were collected using validated self-administrated questionnaire that included questions on water pipe use, socio-demographic characteristics, smoking-related knowledge, attitude toward smoking, normative believes regards perceived prevalence water pipe use among peer and adults, perception of harm, self-esteem and refusal skill. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of water pipe use. Results: A total of 1837 students participated in this study. Students’ ages ranged from 14 to 17 years (mean age±15.09; SD±0.82 years). The overall prevalence of ever water pipe use was 36.2% (43.1% in male and 29.2% in female, (p<0.001). Age, gender, living arrangement, pocket money, academic grade, parental history of smoking, attitude, and normative believes regards perceived prevalence water pipe use among peer and adults were predictors of water pipe use among study participants. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of water pipe is high among high school children in Sanandaj. Age, gender, pocket money, academic grade, parents smoking, attitude toward smoking and normative believes were identified as the most important predictors increasing the risk of water pipe use in the studied students.