Consumption of higher numbers of cigarettes in Mexican youth: the importance of social permissiveness of smoking.
This study sought to assess the relationship between level of cigarette smoking and social factors indicating permissiveness of smoking among youth. This was a school-based cross-sectional questionnaire study carried out in a random sample of students (n=13,293, 11-24 years) at public schools in Morelos, Mexico. Chi2 test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate correlates of level of smoking (> or < or = 5 cigarettes/day). There is a rising trend in smoking among Mexican in-school youth, a tendency towards smoking initiation at increasingly younger ages and a decrease in the gender gap regarding smoking. When young people smoked at home, at school and outside, they were over fives times as likely to smoke >5 cigarettes/day. Prevention of smoking among Mexican adolescents should emphasize smoke-free schools, no smoking policies in the community and parental anti-tobacco education.
Lotrean
Lucia Maria
LM
University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Sánchez-Zamorano
Luisa Maria
LM
Valdés-Salgado
Raydel
R
Arillo-Santillán
Edna
E
Allen
Betania
B
Hernández-Avila
Mauricio
M
Lazcano-Ponce
Eduardo
E
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment