Childhood social disadvantage and smoking in adulthood: results of a 25-year longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the associations between exposure to socio-economic disadvantage in childhood and smoking in adulthood.


METHODS
A 25-year longitudinal study of the health, development and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children.


METHODS
Assessments of childhood socio-economic disadvantage, smoking in adulthood and potential mediating pathways, including: parental education, family socio-economic status, family living standards and family income; smoking frequency and nicotine dependence at age 25 years; child IQ, educational achievement by age 18 years, conduct problems ages 14-16 years, parental smoking 0-16 years and peer smoking at 16 years.


RESULTS
Smoking at age 25 was correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with increasing childhood socio-economic disadvantage. Further, indicators of childhood socio-economic disadvantage were correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with the intervening variables of childhood intelligence, school achievement, conduct problems and exposure to parental and peer smoking; which in turn were correlated significantly (P < 0.0001) with measures of smoking at age 25. Structural equation modelling suggested that the linkages between the latent factor of childhood disadvantage and later smoking were explained largely by a series of pathways involving cognitive/educational factors, adolescent behavioural adjustment and exposure to parental and peer smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study suggested that smoking in adulthood is influenced by childhood socio-economic disadvantage via the mediating pathways of cognitive/educational factors, adolescent behaviour and parental and peer smoking.
Fergusson
David M
DM
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Christchurch, New Zealand. david.fergusson@chmeds.ac.nz
Horwood
L John
LJ
Boden
Joseph M
JM
Jenkin
Gabrielle
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors