A study by Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti of Massachusetts General Hospital and colleagues found that cigarette smoking among U.S. college students increased 28 percent between 1993 and 1997.

To determine whether this rapid rise has continued, the researchers surveyed more than 14,000 students from 119 U.S. colleges in 1999. Included in the poll for the first time were all forms of tobacco use -- including cigars, smokeless and pipe smoking -- rather than just cigarettes.

The survey found that while cigarette smoking rates did not change between 1997 and 1999, more than 60 percent of college students had tried some tobacco product, with one-third of the students using tobacco in the past month of the study, and just under half using tobacco in the past year.

According to the report, 9 percent of college students smoked cigars, 4 percent used smokeless tobacco regularly, and about 1 percent smoked a pipe.

Among current cigarette smokers, the survey found that 32 percent smoked less than a cigarette a day, and 13 percent smoked a pack or more per day.

Furthermore, the study found students who use tobacco products are more likely to smoke marijuana, binge drink, have multiple sex partners, earn lower grades, rate parties as more important than academic activities, and spend more time socializing with friends.

"The college years are a crucial period in the development or abandonment of smoking behavior. Tobacco use in this group should be monitored closely, and young adults should be included in all tobacco control efforts," Rigotti and colleagues wrote. "These efforts clearly need to broaden beyond cigarettes to address the use of cigars and smokeless tobacco."

The results of the study are published in the Aug. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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