title: Identification of adolescents at risk for smoking initiation: validation of a measure of susceptibility.
abstract: Primary prevention of smoking in adolescents requires effective screening instruments for identifying those adolescents who are most likely to experiment with cigarettes. This study investigated the predictive value of a measure of susceptibility to smoking (the lack of a firm commitment not to smoke) for predicting smoking initiation 1 and 2 years later among 687 seventh-grade nonsmokers. Results showed that susceptible adolescents were approximately two to three times more likely to experiment with cigarettes during the ensuing 2 years than were nonsusceptible adolescents. At the lower levels of smoking, these relationships persisted even after controlling for psychosocial variables. Measures of susceptibility to smoking could be an effective tool for identifying adolescents at increased risk of experimenting with cigarettes or assessing their readiness for smoking-prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nezami
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention