The Association between Smoking and Dietary Habits of Female College Students

• Published in: Eiyōgaku zasshi Vol. 61; no. 6; pp. 371 - 380
• Main Authors: Shiohara, Akiyo, Iizuka, Miwako, Shiraishi, Kou, Okuno, Kazuko, Hoyano, Michiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Nutrition and Dietetics 2003
• Subjects: cigarette smoking; dietary habit; female college student; food frequency; unsuitable diet
• ISSN: 0021-5147; 1883-7921
• DOI: 10.5264/eiyogakuzashi.61.371

Although smoking has already been proved to cause health problems and non-smoking programs have been widely promoted, the number of female adolescents smoking is increasing. The aim of this study is to derive the relationship between the smoking status and dietary habits of 870 female college students who responded to a questionnaire survey. The data indicate that 16.8% are current smokers, 9.1% are former smokers, and 74.1% are non-smokers. Of the current and former smokers, 52.0% started smoking at high school, 28.0% at college, 16.9% at junior high school and 0.9% at primary school. The earlier the starting time to smoke, the more were the number of cigarettes smoked a day. The current smokers missed more breakfasts and lunches, ate dinner at home less often, and took meals more irregularly than the non-smokers, with the results for former smokers being between the two. The frequency of eating potatoes, soy bean products, vegetables and fruits was lowest with the current smokers and then with the former smokers, while the frequency of drinking alcohol was highest with the current smokers and then with the former smokers. The current smokers and then the former smokers were more subject to an unsuitable diet than the non-smokers, putting them in poorer health than the non-smokers. The results show that the smoking habit of female college students was related to their dietary habits, so health and nutrition education for female college students should be focused on both not smoking and diet.