Role of cigarette smoking as a gateway drug to alcohol use in Hispanic junior high school students.
BACKGROUND
Many studies have examined predictors of alcohol and other substance use in adolescents, but few have looked specifically at Hispanic adolescents in their junior high school years.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which tobacco use may contribute as a gateway drug for subsequent alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents in San Diego, Calif.


METHODS
A multiple regression procedure was used to test if 7th-grade to 9th-grade change in smoking status predicted 9th-grade alcohol use while controlling for a variety of other variables.


RESULTS
Among the variables analyzed, increased level of smoking was the strongest predictor of subsequent 9th-grade alcohol use, followed by stronger intentions to drink, female sex, and having grades below a "C."


CONCLUSIONS
7th- to 9th-grade smoking change is highly predictive of subsequent alcohol use.


CONCLUSIONS
The study findings suggest that preventive intervention for alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents should focus on changes in smoking status as a significant risk factor and should examine the role of acculturation and other variations that make this population different from other U.S. subgroups.
Parra-Medina
D M
DM
San Diego State University, Calif 92123, USA.
Talavera
G
G
Elder
J P
JP
Woodruff
S I
SI
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors