Household smoking bans and adolescent antismoking attitudes and smoking initiation: findings from a longitudinal study of a Massachusetts youth cohort.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether adolescents living in households in which smoking was banned were more likely to develop antismoking attitudes and less likely to progress to smoking compared with those living in households in which smoking was not banned.


METHODS
We completed a longitudinal 4-year, 3-wave study of a representative sample of 3834 Massachusetts youths aged 12 to 17 years at baseline; 2791 (72.8%) were reinterviewed after 2 years, and 2217 (57.8%) were reinterviewed after 4 years. We used a 3-level hierarchical linear model to analyze the effect of a household ban on antismoking attitudes and smoking behaviors.


RESULTS
The absence of a household smoking ban increased the odds that youths perceived a high prevalence of adult smoking, among both youths living with a smoker (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15, 2.13) and those living with nonsmokers (OR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.29, 2.37). Among youths who lived with nonsmokers, those with no home ban were more likely to transition from nonsmoking to early experimentation (OR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.30, 2.74) than were those with a ban.


CONCLUSIONS
Home smoking bans may promote antismoking attitudes among youths and reduce progression to smoking experimentation among youths who live with nonsmokers.
Albers
Alison B
AB
Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Ave, Crosstown Center 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA. aalbers@bu.edu
Biener
Lois
L
Siegel
Michael
M
Cheng
Debbie M
DM
Rigotti
Nancy
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012928:Social Desirability; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires