Predictors of smoking among Mexican-Americans: findings from the Hispanic HANES.
BACKGROUND
This report presents findings from the Hispanic HANES on patterns and predictors of smoking in the Mexican-American subsample. Data are drawn from men and women ages 20-74 years who were administered the Adult Sample Person Questionnaire (N = 3,464).


METHODS
Four smoking variables (current, ever, former, and daily consumption) are analyzed in relation to sociodemographic measures, including gender, age, marital status, employment status, occupational prestige, income, acculturation, co-workers' smoking, and presence of others in the home who smoke. All analyses were conducted separately for young, middle-age, and older age groups and for males and females. Multiple logistic and multiple regression analyses were performed, controlling for sociodemographic factors, to identify predictors of smoking.


RESULTS
The most important factors found to be associated with smoking were the presence of other smokers in the immediate social environment (home and workplace) and the degree of acculturation (particularly among women). Associations with age, income, and marital status were inconsistent across age and gender groups. With minor exceptions, education, employment, and occupational prestige were unrelated to smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support interventions on the basis of age categories, differential acculturation, and social influence, but overall the findings are more striking for their similarity to predictors of smoking in the general population than for their differences.
Coreil
J
J
Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612.
Ray
L A
LA
Markides
K S
KS
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D014481:United States