Predictors of the transition to regular smoking during adolescence and young adulthood.
OBJECTIVE
To identify predictors of the transition from experimentation to regular smoking in middle adolescence, late adolescence, and young adulthood.


METHODS
California and Oregon students completed self-report surveys assessing the following potential predictors of the transition to regular smoking from grades 8 to 10 (n = 2,496), grades 10 to 12 (n = 2,149), and grade 12 to age 23 years (n = 1,534): demographic characteristics; smoking-related attitudes, behaviors and environment; other problem behaviors; academic orientation; parental bonding; and mental health. Huberized regression techniques, which adjust for weighting and clustering of observations, were used to determine the independent associations of the predictor variables on subsequent smoking status.


RESULTS
Risk factors for the transition to regular smoking during middle adolescence included being white, prosmoking attitudes, friend smoking, weak academic orientation, and less parental support. During late adolescence, being African-American was protective, whereas risk factors included prosmoking attitudes, drinking, non-intact nuclear family, and less parental support. Risk factors in young adulthood included younger age and prosmoking attitudes.


CONCLUSIONS
Results point to several smoking-related attitudes, social influences, and behaviors that prevention efforts may target to curb the escalation of smoking.
Tucker
Joan S
JS
RAND, Santa Monica, California 90407-2138, USA.
Ellickson
Phyllis L
PL
Klein
David J
DJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires