Smokeless tobacco use in a population of young adults

xThe current study examined characteristics of smokeless tobacco users in a large population of Air Force recruits. In addition, smokeless tobacco users were compared to nontobacco users, to cigarette smokers, and to users of both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes. Participants were 32,144 individuals who entered Basic Military Training from August 1995 to August 1996. A 53-item questionnaire assessed demographics, tobacco use history, risk taking, and other health-risk factors. Those who both chewed and smoked scored considerably higher on a number of risk factors than did those who limited their tobacco consumption to either cigarettes or chew. Cigarette smokers in turn tended to score consistently higher on self-reported risk factors than did nontobacco users. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.