Non-Smokers

A smaller proportion of Harvard undergraduates smoke tobacco this year than did undergraduates 20 years ago and this trend may have important social implications, Dr. Stanley H. King, director of research for University Health Services (UHS), said yesterday.

King and Nadja B. Gould, a former UHS research assistant in psychology, uncovered this pattern in a study this past summer, which culminated in a paper entitled "Patterns of Tobacco Use Among Undergraduates at Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges."

The research team, which did not consider the impact of smoking on students' health, studied figures for the Classes of '64, 65', '77 and '81.

Fewer than 5 per cent of students in the Class of '81 smoke, Gould said, adding "It's great to see that they're trying to restrict smoking in the Freshman Union."

The paper has been submitted for publication in the Journal of American College Health Education.