Smoking at UA is lower than the national average by 5 percent. About 28 percent of University of Arizona students have used tobacco in the last 30 days compared to the national average of 33 percent.
Students are always surprised by the low percent.
The survey, published in the August 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association , revealed that 46 percent of college students had used a tobacco product in the past year, which is more than previous studies reported. The number of smokers at UA has risen by about one percent in the past year, according to the annual university Health and Wellness Survey conducted in spring. In 1996, 27.5 percent of Arizonans between the ages of 18 and 24 reported that they had smoked occasionally or daily in the past 30 days. Last year, it was only 21 percent. We are probably at one of the lowest rates in the country.