Thesis:

Factors influencing cigarette smoking among university students, in Mount Kenya University Kiambu county, Kenya

When taken exactly as directed by the manufacturer, cigarette smoking is the only drug that cause death to the majority of its users. Every year, smoking-related deaths claim the lives of over 8 million people. Over 7 million smokers who smoke directly and an additional 1.2 million who are exposed to secondhand smoke as non-smokers comprise the aforementioned population. University students are becoming more and more cigarette smokers. Nonetheless, a sufficient amount of research has been done on the factors influencing university students' decision to smoke cigarettes. The study aimed to identify factors affecting college students' choices to smoke cigarettes using a descriptive cross-sectional survey for the research.Quantitative data was collected through questionnaires that were structured, and qualitative data was obtained through key informant guides. Using stratified random sampling, 395 students from four faculties on the main campus of Mount Kenya University were incorporated in the investigation. Frequencies and proportions were provided by descriptive analysis. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were employed to evaluate factors linked to cigarette smoking. The study received ethical approval from the MKU Institution of Ethics and Review Committee, execution authorization by NACOSTI, and fieldwork permission by the relevant Kiambu County government departments. A p-value less of 0.05 or less was deemed statistically significant. The study a smoking prevalence of 13.5% among the participants. This is a public health concern as the university policy prohibits substance and drug abuse among university students. In this research, cigarettes was the most (83.3%) smoked tobacco product while Kuber was the least (17.7%) smoked tobacco product.Understanding the risk of smoking, such as lung cancer or oral health issues, decreased the likelihood of cigarette smoking among students. Concerning social economic/demographicfactors influencing smoking, having a lower pocket change of less than 1000 Ksh reduced the odds of smoking while being a first-year student, and a male increased smoking odds. Concerning psychosocial factors influencing smoking; alcohol consumption increased the odds of smoking while the odds of smoking reduced with the absence of a family history of smoking. A comprehensive strategy addressing multiple factors that contribute to starting and continuing tobacco use is essential to prevent smoking among students. Tobacco-free lifestyles should be encouraged through community-based, policy-driven, and educational initiatives that foster a supportive environment. Through the implementation of comprehensive interventions, students can make well-informed decisions, fend off peer pressure to smoke, and ultimately lower the cases of smoking among youth.