title: Smoking in Cape Town: community influences on adolescent tobacco use.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper examines the effect of pro- and antisocial opinions about communities on cigarette use by Black, Colored, and White 8th- and 11th-grade students in Cape Town, South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  This analysis consists of 1,328 students who completed a questionnaire in 1997 on sociodemographic characteristics, substance abuse, adolescent behaviors, and opinions about their communities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess hypotheses related to the social development model positing direct and indirect associations between community constructs and smoking within the previous 31 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  White students had the highest proportion (36.3%, P < 0.01) of past-31-days smokers compared to Colored (29.7%) and Black (9.7%) students. SEM analysis showed that among all groups the strongest association (beta = 0.29, Whites, P < 0.01; beta =.14, Coloreds, P < 0.01; beta = 0.05, Blacks, P < 0.05) with recent cigarette smoking was the personal knowledge of adults who engaged in antisocial behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Youth smoking behavior may be affected by antisocial adult behavior, subjective adult norms, and community affirmation. Thus, in addition to other factors, social norms and community influence should be considered in preventing adolescent smoking.
authors.affiliation: University of Cape Town, South Africa. gxK14@psu.edu
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Flisher
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mallett
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lombard
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rawson
authors.forename: Neo K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Morojele
authors.forename: Martie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population