Cigarette smoking as a predictor of alcohol and other drug use by children and adolescents: evidence of the "gateway drug effect".
Data from a statewide survey, conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center, of 20,629 Indiana students in grades 5-12 were analyzed to determine the extent to which cigarette smoking predicted use of alcohol and other drugs and acted as a so-called "gateway drug." A three-stage purposive/quota cluster sampling strategy yielded a representative sample of Indiana students, stratified by grade. Cross-tabulated data revealed a strong, dose-dependent relationship between smoking behavior and binge drinking, as well as use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Daily pack-a-day smokers were three times more likely to drink alcohol, seven times more likely to use smokeless tobacco, and 10-30 times more likely to use illicit drugs than nonsmokers. A stepwise multiple regression analyzed the role that the student's perceptions of the risk of using drugs and of peer approval/disapproval of the student's drug use, gender, grade in school, and ethnic background played in predicting alcohol and other drug use.
Torabi
M R
MR
Dept. of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
Bailey
W J
WJ
Majd-Jabbari
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires