Psychosocial predictors of cigarette smoking among adolescents living in public housing developments.
BACKGROUND
Adolescents residing in low-income public housing developments in inner-city regions may be particularly vulnerable to a variety of risk factors associated with cigarette smoking.


OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the aetiology of cigarette smoking among adolescents living in public housing developments.


METHODS
We examined predictors of smoking from four domains: background characteristics, social influences, behavioural control, and psychosocial characteristics using a sample of seventh graders (mean age 12.9 years) who reside in public housing developments in New York City (n = 624). The addresses of participants in a larger investigation of the aetiology and prevention of smoking were checked to determine if they lived in one of 335 public housing developments in New York City. All participants living in public housing developments were included in the current study.


METHODS
African-American and Hispanic students completed questionnaires about their cigarette use, social pressures to smoke, smoking attitudes, smoking knowledge, and smoking resistance skills. Students also provided information on demographic and behavioural control (such as church and school attendance).


RESULTS
Logistic regression analyses indicated that social influences from friends and family members predicted smoking. Psychosocial characteristics such as advertising resistance skills, anti-smoking attitudes, and refusal skills lowered the odds of smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that smoking prevention approaches targeted at these young people should increase their awareness of social pressures to smoke, correct misperceptions about the prevalence of smoking among friends, and teach relevant psychosocial skills.
Epstein
J A
JA
Department of Public Health, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA. jepstein@mail.med.cornell.edu
Williams
C
C
Botvin
G J
GJ
Diaz
T
T
Ifill-Williams
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000329:Advertising; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011638:Public Housing; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population