Snuff tobacco is far more popular among female UiO students than among the population as a whole. In return, there is less smoking at the university.

The percentage of snuff users among female students at the University of Oslo (UiO) is more than three times as high as among the population at large, according to new statistics from the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research (SIRUS). 12 per cent of female students at UiO use snuff on a daily basis, while only 3,8 per cent of women in the general population use snuff every day. When it comes to male students, the opposite is the case. Among non-students, 33 per cent used snuff, whilst 28 per cent of male students did the same. Researchers now believe that one can expect an increase in the usage of snuff, also among women who are not students.

- As students spread trends, this suggests that the snuff epidemic is in the early stages among women. Students are often the first to adopt new fashions, says Karl Erik Lund, Director of Research at SIRUS.

He is one of the authors behind an article about the snuff habits of students, which will be printed in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association this week.

- Among men the epidemic has reached its peak. The trend among women is on the rise, says Lund.

Medical students just as bad

The statistics from SIRUS show that law students use snuff the most, while snuff is less popular among students at the Faculty of Humanities. Still, the differences between faculties are small. In the article that Lund has participated in writing, there is a special focus on medical students, and the statistics show that they use snuff as much as other students. This is not necessarily a bad sign, says Lund.

- This might mean that snuff is perceived to be a less dangerous tobacco product, and it is 90 per cent less dangerous than smoking. If medical students have understood this, then the message has reached the group. There are more ex smokers among those who use snuff than among those who do not, which suggests that snuff is used to quit smoking, he says.

Lund believes that a switch from smoking to snuff will have a very positive effect on the population’s health.

Smoking habits among students are better than among the rest of the population, according to the SIRUS survey. 10 per cent of male students and 9,6 per cent of female students smoke. This is compared to respectively 27 per cent and 28 per cent among the rest of the population.

A study at UiO in 1969 showed that 72 per cent of male students and 69 per cent of female students smoked regularly. This is a big change, according to the article in the medical association’s journal:

«Today smoking is heavily reduced, déclassé, and no longer the norm. The use of snuff has, on the other hand, become more normal in many social arenas in which smoking would break norms.»

No campaign

Director of Academic Affairs at UiO, Monica Bakken, says that she is aware of the widespread use of snuff among female students.

- These numbers are worryingly high, and of course we do not wish for a rise in the use of any kind of dangerous intoxicant among our students, she says. Even so, UiO will not prioritize any kind of anti-tobacco campaign.