Susceptibility to smoking among White and Chinese nonsmoking adolescents in Canada.
OBJECTIVE
To document the prevalence of susceptibility to smoking among a sample of White/Caucasian and Chinese Canadian adolescent nonsmokers, and to explore the factors that might explain who is susceptible to smoking.


METHODS
This study used a secondary analysis of data from students participating in the British Columbia Youth Survey on Smoking and Health in 2001/2002.


METHODS
The sample included 1,870 10th and 11th graders who were nonsmokers with either a White or a Chinese ethnic background.


METHODS
Questionnaire data consisted of demographic and social factors, previous smoking experience, and susceptibility to smoking.


RESULTS
Among the total sample, 27.7% were susceptible to smoking. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that 11th graders were less susceptible than 10th graders (odds ratio [OR]=0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.99), and girls were more susceptible than boys (OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.65). Ethnicity did not help to explain susceptibility to smoking in this study.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicated the effects of gender and grade on predicting susceptibility to smoking. Even though the Chinese Canadian adolescents had the same risk of susceptibility to smoking as White/Caucasians, the factors that put them at risk may be different, which suggests the need to further examine the ethnic-specific predictors of susceptibility to smoking.
Chen
Weihong
W
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Weihong.Chen@nursing.ubc.ca
Bottorff
Joan L
JL
Johnson
Joy L
JL
Saewyc
Elizabeth M
EM
Zumbo
Bruno D
BD
D000293:Adolescent; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*