Knowledge and Attitudes toward Smoking among University Students in Jordan: A Comparative Study between Smokers and Non-smokers

Background: Smoking habit is a significant issue among university students. Little data is available about the smoking habit among Jordanian students. Purpose: This study compared the levels of knowledge and attitudes between smoking and non-smoking university students in Jordan. Methods: A descriptive comparative cross-sectional approach was utilized. Data was collected from 300 students from four Jordanian universities via a self-report questionnaire. Data collection occurred during the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025. Results: The total knowledge scores for smokers ranged from 0 to 208 (M = 151.07; SD = 33.3). The total knowledge scores for non-smokers ranged from 19 to 200 (M = 147.9; SD = 31.22). The smoking participants have total attitude scores that ranged from 0 to 82 (M = 46.60; SD = 18.87). The total attitude scores for nonsmoking participants ranged from 0 to 65 (M = 26.60; SD = 13.41). Smokers have statistically higher knowledge scores across the three sub-scales: factors related to cigarette smoking initiation (t= 2.12, P = 0.04), factors related to hookah smoking initiation (t= 2.03, P = 0.04), and cigarette/smoking ban (t= 3.27, P = 0.001) sub-scales. Moreover, smokers have significantly higher mean scores on the total attitude scale and its sub-scales (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study highlights significant differences in knowledge and attitudes toward smoking between smoking and non-smoking participants. Implications for Nursing: Nurses play a critical role in developing and implementing tailored educational interventions that address specific needs of smoking and non- smoking university students. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Smoking, University students, Jordan.