Abstract: Objective To analyze the epidemiological status of tobacco and factors affecting smoking behavior at colleges and universities in Zhaoqing City. Methods Stratified proportional sampling method was used to investigate students in 4 colleges and universities in Zhaoqing City, Chi‐square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of smoking behavior. Results Among 827 freshmen to juniors in Zhaoqing City, the average age was （20.00±1.53） years old, the male accounted for 43.41% and the female accounted for 56.59%, respectively. The smoking rate was 18.02% （149/827）, and the continuous smoking rate was 11.73% （97/827）. logistic regression analysis showed that male students （OR=2.710）, students believed that offering cigarettes was a social necessity （OR= 1.622）, students in their second year of school （OR=1.695）, those with parents who smoked （OR=2.305）, roommates who smoked in the dormitory （OR=2.509）, and students who were encouraged to smoke at classmate parties （OR=1.707） were more likely to smoke. Moreover, significant differences of smoking dose were found in the distribution of factors such as tobacco dependence, the impact of smoking on life, and the choice of tobacco type among students engaging in continuous smoking behaviors（P<0.05 or P<0.01）. Conclusions The smoking behaviors of college students in Zhaoqing City are related to factors such as gender, cognition of cigarette offering, school age, smoking behaviors of parents or roommates, and persuasion to smoke at classmate parties. We advocate building a smoke‐free environment between home and school, and carry out tobacco control intervention according to the psychological, behavioral, and environmental characteristics of college students at different school ages.

Key words: College student, Smoking behavior, Status survey, Influencing factor