Tobacco use in a national sample of United States service member and veteran students

This study explored tobacco use in a national sample of service member and veteran students enrolled in postsecondary institutions with the purpose of informing the development of a tobacco cessation initiative by identifying factors associated with the use of cigarettes, water pipes, cigars and smokeless tobacco. Researchers conducted secondary analysis of data from the fall 2011 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) II, which surveyed 44 postsecondary institutions in the United States (n = 27,774). Three percent of the sample reported United States Armed Services active military or veteran status (n = 706). Of the service member and veteran respondents, 41% reported that they used some form of tobacco within the last 30 days. Tobacco use predicted problematic reactions to stressors and mental health symptoms, and correlated with suicidality in the study sample. Further research is recommended to inform culturally competent programming.