title: Risk and protective factors of adolescent exclusive snus users compared to non-users of tobacco, exclusive smokers and dual users of snus and cigarettes.
abstract: The use of snus is increasing in Norway. In this study we examined differences between adolescents who were exclusive snus users, and adolescent non-users, smokers and dual users of snus and cigarettes on a number of psychosocial factors, categorized as risk variables and protective variables associated with involvement in health compromising behavior. We applied separate logistic regression models, where exclusive snus users (n=740) were compared with non-users (n=904), smokers (n=219), and dual users (n=367). Compared to non-users, the group of exclusive snus users was associated with variables traditionally predicting health risk behavior, such as smoking friends (OR=1.74, SD 1.27-2.38) and truancy (OR=2.12, SD 1.65-2.78). Compared to smokers, exclusive snus users were related to variables traditionally associated with protection against involvement in health risk behavior, e.g. higher academic orientation (OR=1.66, SD 1.12-2.45). Associations with protective factors were also observed when exclusive snus users were compared with dual users. While the group of exclusive snus users was associated with a pattern of psychosocial risk compared to non-users, they showed a more conventional pattern when compared to smokers and dual users. The group of exclusive snus users may be described on a continuum varying from psychosocial risk factors to protective factors of risk involvement depending on the group of comparison.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Postboks 565 Sentrum, 0105 Oslo, Norway. el@sirus.no
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rise
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lund
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*