Binge drinking and cigarette smoking behaviors among Korean international college students in the United States

Introduction: The purpose of this investigation was to analyze binge drinking and cigarette smoking behaviors among Korean international students attending universities in the U.S. and to identify, if any, changes in the behaviors after beginning their academic study in the U.S. across different demographic status and living status (on-campus vs. off-campus). Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 1,480 Korean international students at 52 U.S. universities participated in a survey from March to June 2009. Results: Students living off-campus were more likely to experience an increase in binge drinking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.49, 95% CI = 2.56, 4.77) and to experience an increase in smoking (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.67, 3.14) than those living on-campus. More students living off-campus engaged in binge drinking three times or more (48% vs. 38%, p = .001) and smoked more than half a pack of cigarettes a day (63% vs. 53%, p = .027) in the past 30 days, compared with those living on-campus. Home smoking rules and levels of acculturative stress, anxiety, depression, and hostility were significantly associated with binge drinking behavior (p < .05). Home smoking rules and campus-wide tobacco free policies were significantly associated with smoking behavior (p < .05). Discussion: This study is the first study that investigated binge drinking and cigarette smoking behaviors among Korean international college students in the U.S. and provides unique and important insights into the risk or protective factors that make the students more or less susceptible to binge drinking and cigarette use.