Sex and gender differences in tobacco smoking among adolescents in French secondary schools.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the relationship between sex (genetic/biological) and gender (environmental/cultural) factors in relation to adolescent tobacco smoking.


METHODS
A representative sample of 11,582 students from French secondary public schools participated in the study by completing a self-administered, standardised questionnaire.


RESULTS
Using the WHO classification for smoking in the youth, 15.6% of the adolescents were regular smokers, 7.7% occasional smokers, 17.9% experimental smokers and 4.8% ex-smokers, with no statistically significant gender difference. Taking non-smoking as a reference, puberty had a much greater effect on the likelihood of being a regular smoker [OR = 18.0 (95% Confidence Interval: 9.6-32)] than of being an experimental/occasional smoker [OR = 3.7 (2.9-4.6)] among girls. For boys, the effect of puberty was not as great [OR = 4.7 (3.5-6.5)] for regular vs. [OR = 2.1 (1.8-2.5)] for experimental/occasional smokers). Similarly, illicit drug use had a larger effect on the likelihood of being regular smoker vs. non-smoker [OR = 15.0 (12.0-20.0) in boys and 12 (8.8-16.0) in girls] than of being experimental/occasional smoker vs. a non-smoker [OR = 4.8 (3.7-6.1) and 2.9 (2.1-3.9) respectively]. Other factors related to regular smoking were exposure to passive smoking and regular alcohol consumption. Living with both parents was a protective factor for life and regular smoking in both genders.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that influential factors of sex-related (puberty), gender-specific (environmental tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, drug abuse) or sex/gender (regular sexual intercourse) are related to the smoking behaviour in French adolescents.
Kalaboka
S
S
INSERM, UMR S 707: EPAR, Paris, France.
Piau
J P
JP
King
G
G
Moreau
D
D
Choquet
M
M
Annesi-Maesano
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors