Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-123) and appendices. Also available on Internet.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 308 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 277-308).

The purpose of this thesis was to gain insight into why female college students initiate smoking. This study examined the major factors influencing the formation of such habit among this group. The tool used to study these factors was the questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered to randomly selected female students on the Oregon State University (OSU) campus. The Memorial Union and campus library were the only locations where these questionnaires were administered. Results of the study suggested that peers and curiosity were paramount in influencing smokers to initiate smoking. The results also indicated that, with the exceptions of curiosity and the belief that smoking was "adult", there were no differences between early and late initiators in the extent to which the factors under examination influenced them to start smoking. Both curiosity and the belief that smoking was "adult" had greater influence on early initiators to smoke their first cigarettes than they did with late initiators. Lastly, college-related stress was found to increase the daily level of smoking among smokers. For non-smokers, health concern and odor were factors that influenced them greatly to remain smoke-free. Overall, the findings suggested that prevention efforts should focus on strategies that reduce the acceptability of smoking in the social environment. / Graduation date: 1999

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-85). / ix, 85 leaves, bound ill., forms 29 cm

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994.

Thesis (M.A. in anthropology)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 8, 2010). "Department of Anthropology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-77).

Students enrolled in Roanoke County Schools in 2003 became voluntary participants in the Communities That Care Youth Survey (CTCYS), which had been administered to a group (N = 3022) of 6th through 12th graders. The students answered multiple choice questions to determine their attitudes concerning many important topics within their home, school, and community domains. The carefully documented evaluation was conducted to determine the significance of two protective factors, which were employed to explain associations between students who stated that their parents had clear alcohol, tobacco, and drug use rules in the home as well as those who stated they frequently attended religious services and activities, termed parent efficacity and religiosity, respectively. Because risk factors are common among adolescents and few well-designed studies are addressing the benefits of parent efficacity or religiosity as protective factors, this study analyzed the CTCYS data utilizing meta-analyses to assess the efficacy of these two environmental factors in relation to students’ expressed perceptions of smoking cigarettes as a popular adolescent risk activity. Variables are unique to each individual and sample, therefore, multiple factors demonstrating risk and protective qualities were measured using a 0 to 8 point Likert summated rating scale. The various areas were examined according to frequency of risk behavior (i.e., smoking status - current, past, or never). Findings yielded statistically conclusive relationships within the participant responses using Chi-square analysis at the 0.05 level (2-sided), indicating a significant level of interaction between the select protective factors and tobacco use study variables. / Ph. D.

Ethnographic interviews with female adolescents were used to develop summated-rating scales to measure cigarette smoking and weight-reducing behaviors. The Cigarette Smoking Scale is based on the frequency that one smokes cigarettes rather than the number of cigarettes smoked, and includes items related to the subjective and addictive effects of nicotine, social cues for cigarette smoking, and situational opportunities to smoke. The Dieting Patterns Scales measure the frequency of employing three different types of weight-reducing strategies; exercise and a "healthy" diet, skipping meals and fasting, and the use of diet pills and diet drinks. The scales were found to be: (a) sensitive to group differences, indicating construct validity, (b) stable, and (c) internally consistent. The Cigarette Smoking Scale and Dieting Patterns Scales were used to examine the relationships among cigarette smoking, weight-reducing behaviors, dietary intake, maturation, and body composition of 129 eighth-, tenth-, and twelfth-grade girls. Two-thirds of girls included in this study reported dieting to lose weight within the past year. This behavior was associated with a lower energy intake, a higher body mass index, and lower socio-economic status. Both dieting and frequency of employing different types of weight-reducing strategies were consistent across school grades. The importance of measuring both the frequency and type of weight-reducing strategy was indicated by the distinct relationships noted among the Dieting Patterns Scales, dietary intake, and body mass index. The use of diet pills and diet drinks was associated with significantly lower energy, macronutrient, calcium, iron and riboflavin intake. Skipping meals and fasting was unrelated to energy intake but positively related to vitamin C and folacin intake. Lastly, exercise and "healthy" diet behaviors were related to a higher intake of dietary fat. Cigarette smoking was unrelated to weight-reducing behaviors and dieters were not more likely to smoke than non-dieters. However, smokers were thinner. Teens' knowledge and/or beliefs regarding the effects of smoking on body weight may help define the relationship between smoking and dieting.