An Exploratory Study of the Behavior and Perceptions of College Students with Respect to Regular,Light,and Ultralight Cigarettes

The authors perform an exploratory survey that examines the smoking behavior, perceptions, and quitting intentions of 579 college students, an important segment because of their large numbers, their education, and the fact that many of them begin smoking during college. Unlike findings from prior studies of adults, most college students in the sample did not perceive that light cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes or that ultralight cigarettes are safer than light cigarettes, but rather they perceived lights to provide sensory benefits (e.g., milder, lighter taste) over regular cigarettes. This was especially true for former and current smokers. The majority of smokers were nondaily smokers, many of whom have no thoughts of quitting. This is a concern because these nondaily smokers may not consider their smoking behavior risky. In addition, nondaily college student smokers who are primarily social smokers constitute a large group of young adults for which there is little research into the health risks from smoking.