Snus Habits of Norwegian Senior High School Students

Background Use of Scandinavian moist snuff, snus, is steadily increasing in Norway, especially among young adults. Although snus is far less harmful than cigarettes,the degree of harm reduction is controversial. Thus, the trend of increased snus use should be turned. To do that efficiently,information about snus habits of young adults as well as their attitude and knowledge about snus is needed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to increase the knowledge of when and why adolescents start using snus, if they feel addicted to snus and their motivation to stop using snus. We also wanted to assess how adolescents perceive health risks associated with snus, and where they receive information about snus. Methods A questionnary was distributed to all senior high school graduates in Tromsø County, the largest city in Northern Norway. Age, gender, school subjects, sporting activities,snus and smoking habits were recorded. There were also questions to assess why the students started using snus, feeling of addiction and desire of quitting, as well as statements about snus associated health risks which they were to evaluate as true or false. Results and conclusions Of the 773 students asked to participate, 371 (48 %) responded. Of those, 49 % were using snus either daily (38 %) or now and then (11%). Most of the snus users felt addicted to the habit and used snus throughout the day. Snus habits settled at an early age, thus preventive efforts should start early. Curiosity and friends that were using snus were common reasons to start using snus, whereas pleasant taste and relaxation were the most common reasons for keeping the habit. The majority of the snus users did not want to quit the habit.Preventive efforts should take this into consideration, perhaps by working on attitudes and peer pressure. The ban on snus use at schools did not seem to be efficient; legislations restricting the number of taste additives allowed in snus could be an alternative approach to reduce the attractiveness of snus.