Influence of Antitobacco Message on Smoking Behavior Among University Students in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aims

Tobacco consumption continues to be a significant public health issue among university students, highlighting the need for an in-depth analysis of the factors that shape smoking behaviors. This study explores the effects of Antitobacco messaging from various sources—including media, parents, religious institutions, and peers—on the smoking behaviors of students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study employing a quantitative approach was conducted among 632 university students in Bangladesh, selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed based on the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior following face to face interview. The analysis was carried out using STATA version 18, incorporating both descriptive statistics and logistic regression.

Results

The findings reveal that Antismoking messages often reinforce positive attitude toward smoking cessation among university students. The findings indicate that consistent exposure to these messages' shapes students' subjective norms and attitudes, promoting smoking abstinence, particularly among females. Parental guidance, along with religious messages prevents initiation among non-smokers, whereas peer-led messages have limited effects on students who never smoked. Cessation messages are more effective for females compared to males, while Muslim smokers show a more favorable response to Antitobacco messages, and cessation efforts are more successful in private universities than in public ones. These findings underscore the complexity of smoking behaviors among university students, calling for tailored intervention strategies that consider gender differences, institutional contexts, and the nuanced roles of social influences in tobacco cessation.

Conclusion

This finding should serve as a catalyst for policy-making debates aimed at re-innovating Antismoking messages to motivate university students to quit smoking and achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040.