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Adolescents (aged 12-14 years) from the United States (n = 539) and Japan (n = 644) completed surveys regarding tobacco use, perceptions of friend and peer smoking, and their own likelihood of using smoking refusal skills. U.S. youth were more likely to report lifetime or monthly tobacco use, whereas Japanese youth were more likely to smoke ≥20 cigarettes per week. High perceived friend and peer smoking prevalence predicted lifetime smoking, whereas direct refusal skill use (e.g., "saying no") predicted less lifetime tobacco use. Results are discussed in terms of cultural influences that may mediate the effect of risk factors on U.S. and Japanese youth.

Purpose: To examine associations between the perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among urban multi-ethnic adolescent girls in New York City., Methods: Self-report surveys completed in grades 7, 8, and 9 assessed girls' (n = 858) smoking initiation, and perceived smoking environment (family smoking, friends' smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability). Carbon monoxide breath samples were collected from girls using a variation of the bogus pipeline procedure., Results: Differences were found in smoking prevalence with white girls reporting the highest prevalence of smoking at baseline and greatest increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade. Black girls reported an initial increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade followed by a decrease from eighth to ninth grade. Family smoking, friends' smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability were all associated with smoking initiation at eighth grade but only friends' smoking was associated with smoking initiation at ninth grade. Few ethnic differences were found in risk factors at baseline and racial/ethnic group did not modify associations between risk and smoking initiation., Conclusions: Urban adolescent girls of different racial/ethnic backgrounds had similar perceptions of the smoking environment. Despite the similarity of risk factors across racial/ethnic groups, urban white girls are at increased risk to initiate smoking. Preventive interventions that target girls' perceived smoking environment during early adolescence should be effective across ethnic groups.

The present study examined the prevalence rates and common predictors of substance use, aggression, and delinquency among inner-city minority youth entering middle school. A survey was administered to sixth grade students (N=5442) from 42 New York City schools. Aggressive behaviors were reported most frequently, followed by delinquent behaviors, alcohol use, and cigarette smoking. Across all behavioral outcomes, social and environmental influences explained the largest proportion of variance, followed by individual characteristics and skills, bonding to conventional institutions, and demographic variables. For the majority of predictor variables, there was substantial overlap in patterns of prediction across outcomes. These findings indicate that several factors that correspond to the predominant psychosocial theories of adolescent development explain variation across different problem behavior outcomes among inner-city minority youth.

Although considerable literature can be found concerning the etiology of cigarette smoking, a major gap exists pertaining to predictors of adolescent smoking for rural populations in the United States. To address this gap in the literature, the present study focused on rural adolescents and investigated a model of social and cognitive cross-sectional predictors of smoking. Gender-specific differences in etiology were examined by testing the same model separately for boys and girls. Seventh graders (N=1,673) residing in northeastern Iowa self-reported smoking, peer smoking norms, adult smoking norms, drug refusal assertiveness, drug refusal techniques, life skills, prosmoking attitudes, risk-taking tendency, and family management practices. Data were collected during a class period in 36 junior high schools. Peer smoking norms, adult smoking norms, drug refusal assertiveness, drug refusal techniques, prosmoking attitudes, and risk-taking tendency were associated cross-sectionally with smoking. As for gender-specific effects, family management skills, life skills, and risk-taking tendency were concurrently related to smoking for girls only. Based on the results of the present study and on prevention research, it would appear that smoking prevention programs for rural adolescents would benefit from incorporating normative education, drug refusal training, parent skills training, and competence enhancement skills training.

Background: Based on current trends, smoking will remain a major public health problem in the 21st century. Effective smoking prevention approaches offer the best hope for decreasing the rise in adolescent smoking rates. Competence enhancement approaches to smoking prevention are among the most successful. Yet, there is not a full understanding of how effective prevention approaches work. This study tests whether a deficiency in competence (poor decision-making skills and low personal efficacy) is linked to acquiring beliefs in the perceived benefits of smoking and whether these perceived benefits are then related to subsequent smoking., Methods: A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle and junior high schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, 1-year follow-up and 2-year follow-up during a regular class period. They self-reported smoking, decision-making skills, personal efficacy and beliefs in the perceived benefits of smoking., Results: The tested structural equation model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with the theory underlying the competence approach to smoking prevention., Conclusions: This research highlights the importance of addressing decision-making skills, personal efficacy, and beliefs in the social benefits of smoking within adolescent smoking prevention programs., (Copyright 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.)

Objective: Most adolescents experiment with alcohol, and the use of alcohol typically escalates during the teenage years. The present study examined how several risk and protective factors measured during early adolescence were associated with heavy drinking in a sample of high school seniors., Method: As part of a school-based survey, seventh-grade students (N = 1,132) reported degrees of experimentation with alcohol and cigarettes. Several psychosocial factors deemed to be important in the etiology of drinking were also assessed. Students were followed-up in the twelfth grade, when 16% were categorized as heavy drinkers based on drinking and drunkenness frequency and quantity typically consumed., Results: Logistic regression analyses revealed that heavy drinking was predicted by having had experimented with alcohol or cigarettes, having had a majority of one's friends drink and having had poor behavioral self-control in early adolescence. In addition, several effects were limited to either boys or girls. For example, positive alcohol expectancies predicted greater later heavy drinking in boys, while friends' smoking predicted later heavy drinking in girls., Conclusions: The findings suggest that early intervention programs aimed at preventing alcohol use by addressing the social and psychological determinants of alcohol use may have important preventive effects in terms of later heavy drinking.

Objective: To test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to more frequent use of refusal assertiveness that is in turn related to less subsequent smoking among inner city adolescents., Methods: Longitudinal study conducted during three year middle school or junior high school period. A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle (ages 11-14 years) and junior high (ages 12-15 years) schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, one year follow up, and two year follow up. The students self reported smoking, decision making skills, personal efficacy, and refusal assertiveness. Teams of three to five data collectors administered the questionnaire following a standardised protocol. These data were collected in school during a regular 40 minute class period., Results: Based on the tested structural equation model, decision making and personal efficacy (that is, general competence) predicted higher refusal assertiveness and this greater assertiveness predicted less smoking at the two year follow up. The tested model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with theory., Conclusions: Adolescent smoking prevention programmes often teach refusal skills in order to help youth resist peer pressure to smoke. The present findings suggest that teaching general competence skills as well may help to reduce smoking because youth with better personal efficacy and decision making skills are better able to implement smoking refusal strategies.

Most adult cigarette smokers start smoking during adolescence. Few studies, however, have focused on adolescents that are heavy smokers. The present study examined how several risk and protective factors measured during early adolescence were associated with heavy smoking in a sample of high-school seniors. As part of a school-based survey, seventh-grade students (N = 743) reported degrees of experimentation with psychoactive substances and several psychosocial factors deemed to be important in the etiology of smoking. Students were followed-up in the twelfth grade, when 12% (n = 88) smoked a pack of cigarettes or more each day. Logistic regression analyses revealed that heavy smoking was predicted by several earlier variables: poor grades, experimentation with cigarettes or alcohol, a mother or many friends that smoked, and high risk-taking in the seventh grade. Antismoking attitudes and those of one's parents and friends predicted less later heavy smoking in girls only. Implications for smoking prevention are discussed.

Background: Adolescents residing in low-income public housing developments in inner-city regions may be particularly vulnerable to a variety of risk factors associated with cigarette smoking., Objective: To elucidate the aetiology of cigarette smoking among adolescents living in public housing developments., Design, Setting, and Subjects: We examined predictors of smoking from four domains: background characteristics, social influences, behavioural control, and psychosocial characteristics using a sample of seventh graders (mean age 12.9 years) who reside in public housing developments in New York City (n = 624). The addresses of participants in a larger investigation of the aetiology and prevention of smoking were checked to determine if they lived in one of 335 public housing developments in New York City. All participants living in public housing developments were included in the current study., Main Outcome Measures: African-American and Hispanic students completed questionnaires about their cigarette use, social pressures to smoke, smoking attitudes, smoking knowledge, and smoking resistance skills. Students also provided information on demographic and behavioural control (such as church and school attendance)., Results: Logistic regression analyses indicated that social influences from friends and family members predicted smoking. Psychosocial characteristics such as advertising resistance skills, anti-smoking attitudes, and refusal skills lowered the odds of smoking., Conclusions: These findings suggest that smoking prevention approaches targeted at these young people should increase their awareness of social pressures to smoke, correct misperceptions about the prevalence of smoking among friends, and teach relevant psychosocial skills.

Purpose: To determine if ethnic and gender differences in smoking (lifetime prevalence and 30-day prevalence) exist among a cohort of Asian, black, Hispanic, and white inner-city adolescents during the 3-year middle school period., Methods: Students in 22 urban schools completed self-report questionnaires and provided carbon monoxide breath samples at three annual assessments. Chi-square analyses were conducted to test for associations between ethnic group (Asian, black, Hispanic, and white) and smoking and to test for gender differences in smoking within each ethnic group. Additional analyses examined differences in smoking between two Hispanic subgroups (Puerto Rican and Dominican)., Results: Ethnicity was associated with lifetime smoking prevalence at all three assessment points but was only associated with 30-day smoking prevalence at the 2-year follow-up. However, there were no differences in smoking between Puerto Rican and Dominican youth. Black girls reported higher lifetime smoking prevalence than black boys at all three assessments. At the 2-year follow-up, Asian boys reported higher lifetime smoking prevalence than Asian girls; Hispanic girls reported higher 30-day prevalence than Hispanic boys., Conclusions: White and Hispanic adolescents were at higher risk for smoking relative to Asian and black adolescents. With the exception of white youth, gender differences were found within each ethnic group.

Background: Hispanic populations have been shown to be at high risk for smoking. The complex psychological process of adaptation to a different culture (acculturation) has been linked to smoking among Hispanic adults and adolescents. Although a positive association between acculturation and smoking appears to depend on gender among adults, research with Hispanic adolescents has ignored the moderating effect of gender., Methods: Students in 22 New York City schools completed self-report questionnaires and provided carbon monoxide breath samples at two annual assessments. Sixth and seventh graders who identified themselves as Hispanics participated in the study (N = 1,295 at baseline; N = 1,034 at 1-year follow-up). The questionnaire included items related to smoking, acculturation, and demographic characteristics., Results: Analyses were conducted to determine the effects of linguistic acculturation and gender on smoking. Girls smoked more frequently than boys at both time points. Being more acculturated was also associated with more smoking at the two survey assessments. As predicted, adolescent smoking depended on both gender and linguistic acculturation. For girls, but not boys, the highly acculturated adolescents smoked more frequently than either the bilingual or the less acculturated., Conclusions: Based on these findings, smoking prevention programs designed for Hispanic youth may benefit from an emphasis on Hispanic culture.

Cigarette smoking continues to be a major public health problem that specifically affects the adolescent population. This chapter discusses current prevalence rates, recent trends, and the etiology of adolescent smoking, as well as strategies for preventing or reducing it. The authors highlight the prevention approaches demonstrated to effectively influence smoking behavior, such as those that teach adolescents social resistance skills and antismoking norms alone or in combination with teaching overall personal and social skills.

This study was designed to examine the relationship between language spoken and smoking (at least once a month) among New York City Hispanic-Latino adolescents, using a large sample of specific Hispanic-Latino subgroups (Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian, and Ecuadorian youth) and controlling for social and environmental factors. The sample included 3,129 Hispanic-Latino students in 47 New York City public and parochial schools. Of the total sample, 43 percent were Puerto Rican, 20 percent Dominican, 7 percent Colombian, and 7 percent Ecuadorian. The students completed questionnaires that were designed to assess social and environmental influences on their smoking and determine what languages they spoke (English and Spanish) with parents and friends. Self-reported smoking data were collected by means of the bogus pipeline to enhance the veracity of self-reports. In the logistic regression model, including background, social influence, and language use variables, 101 students were smokers. Logistic regression analysis indicated that being bicultural (speaking both English and Spanish) at home and with friends appeared to increase the odds of currently smoking. Separate logistic regression analyses for girls and boys revealed that being bicultural at home increased the odds of currently smoking for boys but not girls. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention.

Limited information is available concerning the etiology of smoking among minority youth. We examined predictors of smoking among inner-city African-American and Latino seventh graders (N = 757). Enhanced self-reports of cigarette smoking were collected along with data concerning background, social environmental, and individual characteristics hypothesized to promote smoking. Results indicated that friends and peers were the most important social influences in predicting smoking. Several psychological factors, including feelings of hopelessness, low efficacy in life skills (social skills, communication skills, and refusal skills) and low self-esteem seemed related to increased susceptibility to smoking. We discuss implications of our findings for effective prevention programs for minority youth.

A longitudinal model of Black adolescent smoking was tested using 223 seventh-grade students attending public schools in northern New Jersey. Interpersonal and intrapersonal factors were hypothesized to have an impact on Black seventh graders' decision to smoke. After conducting an exploratory Principal Factor Analysis (PFA) using a varimax rotation with the Time 1 data, a structural equation model was developed and refined through successive iterations. The final model revealed friends' smoking to be the most significant predictor of Black adolescent smoking at Time 1, but perceived smoking norms and intrapersonal factors such as decision making, self-efficacy, and self-esteem at home and at school exerted an important influence on smoking at Time 2. These results suggest that social influence factors may be important early in the smoking initiation process, but factors such as perceived smoking norms and intrapersonal factors may play an important role in maintaining the smoking habit in Black adolescents.

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the exposure of adolescents in the seventh and eighth grades to cigarette advertising and their being smokers. A survey questionnaire given to 602 adolescents assessed their exposure to cigarette advertising and provided measures of their smoking behavior, demographic characteristics, and some psychosocial variables. The results indicated that exposure to cigarette advertising and having friends who smoked were predictive of current smoking status. Adolescents with high exposure to cigarette advertising were significantly more likely to be smokers, according to several measures of smoking behavior, than were those with low exposure to cigarette advertising. The findings extend previous research identifying factors that may play a role in the initiation and maintenance of smoking among adolescents.

A longitudinal sample of 916 adolescents was examined to assess the extent to which the perceived smoking prevalence of adults' or peers' smoking was related to cigarette smoking. Questionnaires were distributed to junior high school students in Grade 7 and again in Grade 9. Prevalence of perceived peers' smoking and prevalence of perceived adults' smoking were significantly related to cigarette smoking both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Adolescents who believed that half or more than half of all adults or peers smoked cigarettes showed the most smoking involvement, and those who believed that fewer than half of adults or peers smoked were least involved. These findings provide further evidence that adolescent normative expectations about cigarette smoking are an important determinant of smoking initiation.

Little is known about the etiology of cigarette smoking among minority populations. This study examines the correlates and predictors of smoking among inner-city black seventh graders (N = 608). Enhanced self-reports of cigarette smoking were collected along with data concerning demographic, social, and psychological factors hypothesized to promote smoking initiation. Results indicate that social environmental factors, such as the smoking status of friends and siblings, and individual factors, such as refusal assertiveness, general assertiveness, and age are predictive of current smoking. Similarly, the smoking status of friends, attitudes concerning the harmful effects of smoking, and low self-esteem concerning schools are predictive of behavioral intention to smoke in the future. Overall, the factors that were the most salient predictors of smoking for the black adolescents in this study are generally congruent with the existing literature for other populations.

Research on ethnic group differences has suggested that (a) adolescents from various groups differ on a number of dimensions that have been related to risk for substance use initiation, and (b) adolescents of different groups choose different substances. However, there is little consensus regarding the reasons for such differences. There is an especially high rate of alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents, and Hispanics are at high risk for alcohol abuse. In light of ethnic group differences in both substance use and the precursors of substance use in adolescence, this study examined differences among black, Anglo, Puerto Rican, and Dominican adolescents in the relation between cigarette and alcohol use and psychosocial functioning. Comparisons between the Puerto Rican and Dominican subjects were of special interest due to preexisting differences between these groups that may be attributed to acculturation. Results provided evidence of the importance of acculturation in modifying psychosocial vulnerability, especially for alcohol use, with the Dominican group at highest risk.

Plasma cotinine levels were measured in 137 students (ages 14 to 17 years), as an independent validation of self-reported cigarette smoking status. Ninety-five per cent of the students who reported daily cigarette smoking had detectable cotinine levels. In contract, only 2 per cent of students who reported that they never smoke cigarettes had detectable levels of plasma cotinine. Results suggest that adolescents can report accurately on their smoking status if sufficient assurance of confidentiality is stressed.