Characterization of Tobacco Consumption and Perceived Stress in Young University Students

Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco use is a public health problem worldwide because it is one of the main causes of chronic diseases in the population. In addition, it is documented that consuming tobacco is a gateway for the consumption of other drugs. University students are a vulnerable group to initiate this behavior, with perceived stress being a factor that may be present in tobacco users. Objective: Characterization tobacco consumption and perceived stress in university students. Methodology: Descriptive study carried out on 226 university students of both sexes. Two instruments were used for data collection: a Personal Data Card and Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (EPP). Which were digitized on the Google Forms platform for distribution among the participants. The study adhered to the provisions of the Regulations of the General Law of Health in Research Matters (2014). The data was processed in the statistical package SPSS version 26.0. Results: 62.8% of the participants were female and reported a mean age of 21 years. It was documented that the age of onset of tobacco consumption was 16.82 years. Significant differences are reported in the female sex compared to men regarding perceived stress. Conclusion: It is observed in this study that perceived stress shows higher percentages in young people who have ever used tobacco than in those who have never tried it.