The recent implementation of increase in cigarette prices aimed to be a control procedure

to regulate smoking intake but implementing a solution without understanding the root cause
makes the campaign of reducing cigarette intake among the youth ineffective.
This study explored the smoking pattern of youth in a smaller scale with FEU college
students as primary source with the goal of understanding the reasons as to why they continue to
purchase cigarette in spite of its unreasonable and higher price.
As a result of this inquiry, students from Far Eastern University continue to smoke
despite the increase in price of cigarette every year because for them it is a stress reliever and it
gives them satisfaction. As one of the participants mentioned, “Nasa yosi yung satisfaction na
hinahanap ko.” We, therefore conclude that smoking cigarettes has been a part of their daily
routine as they cannot let a day pass without lighting a stick of cigarette especially that they are
now in college level whereas different stressor and factor triggers their cigarette consumption.
After analyzing the gathered data, it can be concluded that increasing price through sin
tax is not an effective way to reduce cigarette intake or consumption particularly to the college
students of Far Eastern University; The usual responses from the interviewees answering what
makes their consumption decrease were personal reasons, health considerations and commitment
to promises. With these reasons behind their decreasing consumption, law regulating the increase
of tax in cigarette must be reviewed and revised to further strengthen the effectivity of the law.
With the stress being one of the primary factors as to why the respondents smoke, identifying
stressors and developing ways to combat those is needed to possibly and effectively reduce the
cigarette consumption of public and students.
As an implication, students from Far Eastern University now depends on smoking
cigarette to aide or at least lessen their stress level. It implies that these students are now being
dependent in this kind of activity while there are a lot of activities they can do to release the
stress they have in their bodies and at the same time it doesn’t destroy their health. Given these
findings, it can be seen as an implication of turning cigarette as a need instead of want.
As a recommendation, to our dear participants the researchers recommend trying to look
for another kind of activities or leisure in which stress can be released. As much as smoking
addresses the stress level, shifting into a more sustainable and healthier way is a better option.
Provided by health organizations, couple of information, recreational activities, and alternatives
are now available which can satisfy the cravings considering and not compromising the health
and the budget of cigarette consumers. To the next researchers, this research has been limited
when it comes to its timeframe. With this, the researchers would like to recommend an inquiry
that will expound this paper and make it into a wider scale. A possible inquiry title would be “An
inquiry as to why college students around University Belt chooses smoking as an option in
releasing stress.” Through this inquiry, it is expected to come up with more in-depth outputs and
the result will not only repeat the findings of this inquiry.