Smoking differences among African American, Hispanic, and White middle school students in an urban setting.
BACKGROUND
Cross-sectional studies have repeatedly observed that African American adolescents are less likely to smoke when compared to White and Hispanic adolescents. Although much is known among high school samples, few scientifically based studies have reported these race and ethnic differences in cigarette smoking among younger samples.


METHODS
This study employed a secondary analysis of data from a 3-year middle school violence prevention project. The study design was a 3-year serial cross-sectional survey, out of which a cohort of students from sixth to eighth grade was formed. Smoking measurers were taken yearly.


RESULTS
8865 students responded in 1994, 9115 in 1995, and 9364 in 1996; 1589 students are in the 3-year cohort. Smoking prevalence rates from both measurement periods confirm the disparity between African Americans, Whites, and Hispanic youth. Although weak in sixth grade, by eighth grade, White and Hispanic students are smoking at two to four times the rate of their African American classmates.


CONCLUSIONS
Clearly, more etiological research needs to be conducted to understand the social, cultural, and intrapersonal forces that operate to inhibit the onset of smoking in African American youth and promote the onset of smoking in White and Hispanic youth.
Kelder
Steven H
SH
School of Public Health, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, P.O. Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225, USA. Steven.H.Kelder@uth.tmc.edu
Prokhorov
Alexander
A
Barroso
Cristina S
CS
Murray
Nancy
N
Orpinas
Pamela
P
McCormick
Laura
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D013334:Students; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data