Students at UF and nationwide have shown that drastic times call for at least one drastic measure - to quit smoking.
According to a report released Monday by the American Lung Association, only 19.2 percent of college students are lighting up, which is the lowest percentage since 1980.
The report states that the rising cost of cigarettes and stricter no-smoking laws have motivated students across the country to put out their cigarettes for good.
UF organizations are jumping on the bandwagon.
"We're really ahead of the game," said Jane Emmerée, health educator at GatorWell Health Promotion Services.
Emmerée said a GatorWell study performed this spring revealed that only 8.6 percent of UF students reported smoking within 30 days of the study.
Because of the recent rise in gas and food prices, some students have decided cigarettes are a luxury.
According to the American Lung Association's report, the average price of a pack of cigarettes has increased from 42 cents in 2000 to $1.16 in July 2008.
"The more cigarettes cost and the more they are taxed, the more people have to decide between buying food and gas or buying a pack of cigarettes," said E. Maureen Miller, an alcohol and drug prevention specialist for GatorWell.
High prices aren't the only deterrent to smokers - since the state Legislature passed a 2003 amendment banning smoking in many public areas, such as restaurants, Florida smokers have been having difficulty finding a place to take a cigarette break.
UF currently bans smoking not only inside all buildings, but also within 50 feet of them, according to UF's Web site.
The report stated that more than 130 colleges nationwide have already taken the next step - to ban smoking everywhere on campus.
Jon Carroll, special assistant to UF Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin, said because UF's smoking policy was just established in January, UF is unlikely to follow suit any time soon.
He said the policy is already relatively stringent because there are few areas on campus that are not within 50 feet of a building.
Despite strict smoking policies and rising cigarette prices, the report showed college students remain the most likely age group to smoke when compared with the rest of Americans.
Most student smokers, many of whom began the habit in high school, begin smoking primarily for social interaction, the report said.
"It's an age of experimentation," Emmerée said. "Students who do smoke usually smoke socially."
Emmerée said only about one-fifth of the 8.6 percent of UF students who smoke do so on a daily basis.
She said UF health organizations are trying to bring the percentage of smokers to a minimum.
GatorWell soon will be offering discounts on cessation medications and nicotine replacement patches to students and employees, she said, thanks to funding from the Florida Department of Health's Area Health Education Center.
Emmerée said GatorWell also offers a seven-week smoking cessation program for employees and their spouses. The classes are not offered to students, she said, but students can receive one-on-one meetings to help them quit.
Joseph Neighbor, an anthropology junior, said he has cut back on cigarettes over the years, but that cigarette prices didn't motivate him to quit.
Tommy Robey, a business administration senior, agreed.
"People who buy cigarettes are going to buy cigarettes," he said.
