title: Psychosocial profiles of adolescent nonsmokers in the Pacific.
abstract: Studies examining adolescent smoking have focused on at-risk individuals, while overlooking the psychosocial profiles of those adolescents who have managed to remain nonsmokers. Accumulating evidence suggests that positive emotions such as happiness may be associated with the adoption of healthy practices, but limited evidence has emerged from developing countries. This study examined the association between non-smoking and positive emotions and psychosocial correlates in 3 large population samples of Pacific youths (N = 5659) living in Tonga, Vanuatu, and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Across all 3 samples, being confident was significantly associated with nonsmoking and being happy (Tonga, odds ratio [OR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-1.73; Vanuatu, OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.02-1.63; Pohnpei, OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.60-3.34). Some cross-country differences in relationships were found in the associations between societal factors (ie, perceived connections with school, teachers, and peers, and perceived community importance and involvement) and nonsmoking and happiness. Findings have implications for developing innovative strategies aimed at preventing smoking uptake and suggest the need for focusing on identifying the determinants of nonsmoking and measuring positive emotions.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. philayrath.phongsavan@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Philayrath
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Phongsavan
authors.forename: Ben John
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Tien
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chey
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gilmete
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Havea
authors.forename: Adrian Ernest
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bauman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003256:Community Participation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008849:Micronesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010379:Peer Group; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D014058:Tonga / Q000453:epidemiology; D009514:Vanuatu / Q000453:epidemiology