title: Association between high school students' cigarette smoking, asthma and related beliefs: a population-based study.
abstract: Smoking has a detrimental effect on the symptoms and severity of asthma, a common chronic disease among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between asthma and smoking among high school students and assess provider-patient communication with asthmatic adolescents regarding smoking and adolescents' beliefs about the harms of smoking.
  
  
  
  In fall 2014, data from high school students, ages 14-18 years, completing the 2009-2010 Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 1796) were used in descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for model-specific confounders as appropriate.
  
  
  
  Overall, an estimated 19 % of high school students in Virginia smoked and 16 % had asthma. Odds of smoking did not differ by asthma status; however, asthmatics had 1.5 times higher odds of being asked if they smoke (95 % CI 1.06-2.13) and being advised not to smoke by a health professional (95 % CI 1.10-2.14) compared to non-asthmatics. Asthmatics who believed second-hand smoke or smoking 1-5 cigarettes/day was not harmful had respectively 4.2 and 2.8 times higher odds of smoking than those who thought each was harmful. Further, asthmatics who thought smoking 1-2 years is safe had 3.4 times higher odds of smoking than those who did not (95 % CI 1.57-10.1).
  
  
  
  While asthmatic adolescents are just as likely to smoke as non-asthmatics, less healthy beliefs about the risks of smoking increase the odds of smoking among asthmatics. Thus, targeted asthma-specific smoking prevention and education to change attitudes and beliefs could be an effective tool for adolescents.
authors: Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 830 E. Main St., 8th Floor, Box 980212, 23298-0212, Richmond, VA, USA. rmjones2@vcu.edu.|Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. rmjones2@vcu.edu.|Center on Health Disparities, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. rmjones2@vcu.edu.
authors: Resa M
authors: RM
authors: Jones
authors: Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 830 E. Main St., 8th Floor, Box 980212, 23298-0212, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors: Kara P
authors: KP
authors: Wiseman
authors: Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 830 E. Main St., 8th Floor, Box 980212, 23298-0212, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Kharitonova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Adolescents; Asthma; Smoking; Smoking-related beliefs