Smoking Behaviours, Awareness and Attitude among University Students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Smoking remains a significant global health concern that results in millions of deaths annually. Despite its widely known health consequences, smoking remains highly prevalent among young adults, including university students. This study investigates smoking behavior, knowledge, and attitudes among university students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia—a context affected by unique cultural and regulatory factors. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 115 university students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire assessed demographic data, smoking status, initiation age, knowledge of the risks of smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, and attitudes toward quitting programs. Data were collected and subsequently analyzed through SPSS software. Results: Most respondents were male (67.8%) students over 21 years old, mainly enrolled in graduate programs (60.9%), with most studying health sciences or business. The smoking rate among the participants was 66.1%, and most initiated tobacco use in the 18-20 years age group. Although 75.7% of the students reported knowing the health risks of smoking, this did not predict a decrease in smoking. Surprisingly, 40% of the smokers smoked every day, suggesting high nicotine addiction. Besides, 47.8% of the students had been exposed to smokers at home, approximately 90.4% had often been exposed to smoking by relatives or friends. Exposure was high even with university smoke-free policies. Encouragingly, 52.2% of the smokers indicated interest in participating in cessation programs. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among Jeddah university students, despite their reported health hazard awareness, is a call to action for locally focused public health interventions. Targeted interventions that recognize determinants at the cultural, social, and psychological levels are necessary to ensure smoking abstinence and minimize tobacco-induced health outcomes among this population.