title: Characterizing and comparing young adult intermittent and daily smokers.
abstract: We interviewed 732 smokers (from five US upper Midwestern states) via telephone in 2006 to examine young adult smoking patterns. We first defined two groups of intermittent smokers-low (who smoked for 1-14 days in the past 30 days) and high (who smoked for 15-29 days in the past 30 days), and then analyzed differences between these two groups and daily smokers. Low intermittent smokers were much less likely to consider themselves smokers, feel addicted, or smoke with friends than high intermittent smokers. Daily smokers were more likely to feel addicted and have trouble quitting smoking than high intermittent smokers. Implications, limitations, and ideas for future studies will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. lenk@umn.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lenk
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Debra H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bernat
authors.forename: Jean L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rode
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult