Smokeless tobacco use in a population of young adults.

The current study examined characteristics of smokeless tobacco users in a large population of Air Force recruits. In addition, smokeless tobacco users were compared to non-tobacco 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.