Prevalence and correlates of early smoking among elementary schoolchildren in multiethnic, low-income inner-city neighborhoods.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence and correlates of early smoking were investigated among schoolchildren in grades 4-6 living in multiethnic, low-income neighborhoods in Montreal.


METHODS
As part of the evaluation of a school-based heart health promotion program, baseline data on the prevalence of early smoking were collected from 2285 students aged 9-13 years in 24 inner-city elementary schools during May-June 1993.


RESULTS
Overall, 28.7% of boys and 20.3% of girls had smoked. Girls began trying later than boys, but by age 13 the prevalence of experimental or regular smoking by girls overtook that of boys. Univariately, ever smoking varied considerably by family origin, from 2.1% among Vietnamese girls, to 35.8% among Portuguese boys. In multivariate analysis, age, perceived smoking habits of friends, and smoking by family members, were strong correlates of smoking. Being of Asian family origin was negatively associated with smoking. None of the indicators of social class were significantly associated with ever smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking prevention should begin with children even younger than age 9 in multiethnic, low-income, inner-city neighborhoods. With the exception of a lower prevalence of smoking among Asian children, ethnicity and social class were not strong influences on early smoking behavior in this population.
Department of Public Health, Montreal General Hospital, and Montreal Centre for Studies on Health Promotion, Quebec, Canada.
J
J
O'Loughlin
L
L
Renaud
G
G
Paradis
G
G
Meshefedjian
X
X
Zhou
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population