Association between psychological factors and adolescent smoking in seven cities in China

Association of Sources of Worry and Stress with Smoking in Japan: Findings from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2010

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to examine which sources of worry and stress are associated with smoking behavior and if these associations are varied by gender.

Methods

The anonymous data of 28,588 men and 30,813 women aged 20-79 years old in Japan were analyzed. We defined the subjects who chose "smoking everyday" as "smokers." We also assessed 20 sources of worry and stress. Multivariable odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of smoking for each source of worry and stress were calculated using logistic regression analysis.

Results

We found significant association of financial stress with smoking behavior in both genders. The multivariable OR (95% CI) of smoking according to stress from financial stress was 1.22 (1.15-1.31) in men and 1.66 (1.53-1.80) in women. Moreover, the OR of smoking according to stress from human relationships and job affairs was significantly higher for women.

Conclusion

We found that some sources of worry and stress were related to smoking behavior and these associations were found to be gender-specific.

Effects of Smoking on Aggression, Big Five Personality Factors, and Polymorphisms in HTR2A, DRD4, and MAOA among Egypt University Students

Introduction

To find genetic variants in the DRD4 and HTR2A genes' promoter regions and exons that are associated with tobacco smoking and nicotine addiction in Egyptian university students as well as to study the association between personality traits and smoking status.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire about cigarette smoking and personality attributes (Big Five Inventory, ESPAD Questionnaire on Substance Abuse, and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire). The participants in the study were 90 nonsmokers (NS) and 88 current smokers (CS), who were divided into two groups depending on their cigarette consumption per day (cpd): 55 heavy smokers (HS, >20 cpd) and 33 light smokers (LS, 1–10 cpd). Four and eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DRD4, HTR2A, and MOA genes, respectively, were genotyped.

Results

Smokers scored lower on neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion than nonsmokers, but higher on aggression. Furthermore, the C allele of rs1800955 in DRD4 was associated with cigarette smoking in the HS vs. NS and LS vs. NS studies. The T allele of the HTR2A rs6313 gene was discovered to be strongly associated with cigarette smoking. There was no link discovered between MOA rs1137070 and MOA rs1137070.

Conclusions

Using a comprehensive personality model (FFM), this study repeats and extends earlier research. Personality and genetic studies may aid in the development of a more complete and conclusive understanding of cigarette smoking, as well as more precise policies and guidelines for smoking cessation and quitting.

Socio-environmental and psychosocial predictors of smoking susceptibility among adolescents with contrasting socio-cultural characteristics: a comparative analysis

BACKGROUND

Despite a steady decline in adolescent smoking globally, it remains a prevalent risk factor for non-communicable disease. Previous research points to differences in socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking and how they vary across different settings with disparate social and cultural characteristics. As a result, smoking rates have remained disproportionately higher in some settings while decreasing in others. This study explored the socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking susceptibility in a high-income and upper-middle income setting.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,573 male and female adolescents aged 11-15 years who completed self-administered questionnaires in schools in Northern Ireland and Bogotá, Colombia. Using logistic regression analysis, we examined how socio-environmental and psychosocial predictors of smoking susceptibility compared across the two countries.

RESULTS

In Northern Ireland, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with less family smoking (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.41-1.00); having access to information about smoking in school (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.96); negative attitudes towards smoking (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.23-0.51); higher levels of openness (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.50-0.69); and higher levels of self-reported wellbeing (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.44-0.74). Increased odds of smoking susceptibility were associated with reporting less smoking of a mother (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.06-1.76); higher levels of extraversion (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.90); and receiving pocket money (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.37). In Bogotá, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with reporting less smoking among friends (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98); higher levels of self-efficacy (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83); greater perceived behavioural control to quit smoking (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56-0.90); and lower levels of truancy (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.92). In Bogotá, no factors were associated with increased odds of smoking susceptibility in the final model.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings illustrate that there were differences in predictors of adolescent smoking susceptibility across the two settings. By using a comparative approach we demonstrate that smoking interventions and policies must be sensitive to the cultural and normative context within which they are implemented.

Positive Education Interventions Prevent Depression in Chinese Adolescents

Positive education aims to improve students’ academic performance as well as their well-being and character strengths. In contrast to traditional school counseling methods that are typically post hoc and pathological, positive education advocates a preventive and positive approach, which teaches students well-being skills that can reduce the chances of depression before it occurs. The current study tested this hypothesis by using a pseudo-experiment design. Six 8th grade classes (N = 173) in a Chinese school were randomly assigned into two groups. In the experiment group, students took positive education courses once a week that taught them primarily knowledge and skills related to positive emotions. Students in the control group took regular moral education courses. After one semester, the level of depression of students in the experiment group had no significant change while that of students in the control group increased significantly. The results showed that adolescent depression can be prevented by positive emotion interventions. Implications and limitations are discussed.

A systematic review of anxiety across smoking stages in adolescents and young adults

BACKGROUND

In adolescence and young adults, inconsistence of the association between anxiety and smoking remains to be investigated and clarified. The aim of this study is investigated and clarified the association between anxiety and smoking stages in adolescence and young adults.

METHODS

The data on the causal influence of anxiety on smoking in adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 25 years old was retrieved from electronic databases.

RESULTS

Nineteen of 668 articles were subjected to a systematic review. Definitional differences with respect to smoking stages constrained homogeneity across the nineteen analyzed reports. Anxiety appears to play a more consistent risk role for nicotine dependent (ND) smokers than for non-nicotine dependent (non-ND) regular or daily smokers. Anxious non-ND smokers are at higher risk to become nicotine dependent.

CONCLUSIONS

A ununified definition of smoking stages is responsible for the production of inconsistent results. The analysis reinforced anxiety as a significant risk factor for smoking in one's lifetime. Anxious non-ND smokers are the key target for interventions aimed at preventing nicotine dependence and smoking-related health problems.

Protection motivation theory and cigarette smoking among vocational high school students in China: a cusp catastrophe modeling analysis

BACKGROUND

Tobacco use is one of the greatest public health problems worldwide and the hazards of cigarette smoking to public health call for better recognition of cigarette smoking behaviors to guide evidence-based policy. Protection motivation theory (PMT) provides a conceptual framework to investigate tobacco use. Evidence from diverse sources implies that the dynamics of smoking behavior may be quantum in nature, consisting of an intuition and an analytical process, challenging the traditional linear continuous analytical approach. In this study, we used cusp catastrophe, a nonlinear analytical approach to test the dual-process hypothesis of cigarette smoking.

METHODS

Data were collected from a random sample of vocational high school students in China (n = 528). The multivariate stochastic cusp modeling was used and executed with the Cusp Package in R. The PMT-based Threat Appraisal and Coping Appraisal were used as the two control variables and the frequency of cigarette smoking (daily, weekly, occasional, and never) in the past month was used as the outcome variable.

RESULTS

Consistent with PMT, the Threat Appraisal (asymmetry, α1 = 0.1987, p < 0.001) and Coping Appraisal (bifurcation, β2 = 0.1760, p < 0.05) significantly predicted the smoking behavior after controlling for covariates. Furthermore, the cusp model performed better than the alternative linear and logistic regression models with regard to higher R2 (0.82 for cusp, but 0.21 for linear and 0.25 for logistic) and smaller AIC and BIC.

CONCLUSION

Study findings support the conclusion that cigarette smoking in adolescents is a quantum process and PMT is relevant to guide studies to understand smoking behavior for smoking prevention and cessation.

Smoking Cessation Failure Among Korean Adolescents

The aim of this study was to identify smoking cessation failure subgroups among Korean adolescents. Participants were 379 smoking adolescents who joined a smoking cessation program. A questionnaire and a cotinine urine test were administered before the program began. Three months after the program ended, the cotinine urine test was repeated. A decision-tree model identified seven subgroups with low or high smoking cessation rates. The predictors of smoking cessation were intention to stop smoking, initiation of smoking, amount of cigarette use, self-efficacy, and paternal smoking status. The subgroup with the lowest smoking cessation rate included adolescents who did not have any intention to stop smoking and who had started smoking after eighth grade, and none of the participants in this group stopped smoking. The results of this study provide crucial information for tailored smoking cessation programs.

Gender differences and clustering of modifiable risk factors of non-communicable diseases among medical students: a cross sectional study in Nepal

The objective of the study was to explore gender differences in the risk factors of non-communicable diseases among medical students in Nepal. We randomly selected two private and one government medical college located in Kathmandu Valley. All the third year medical students (n = 191) from these selected colleges were requested to participate in an anonymous cross sectional survey. We gathered information about different risk factors for non-communicable diseases including smoking and drinking habits, physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption. We identified significant gender differences in the clustering of modifiable risk factors among our study population (p value = 0.032). Logistic regression model showed that male and female medical students were significantly different in terms of smoking status [aOR = 4.12, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.57; 10.85] and high level of physical activity (aOR = 4.50, 95 % CI 1.80; 11.21). Male medical students should be targeted in future behavioral interventions for smoking cessation, while physical activity among female medical students needs to be promoted.

Effects of lifetime tobacco, alcohol and drug use on psychological and behavioral problems among 10th grade students in Istanbul

AIMS

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of life-time tobacco, alcohol, and substance use on psychological and behavioral variables among 10th grade students in Istanbul/Turkey.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study employed a cross-sectional online self-report survey conducted in 45 schools from the 15 districts in Istanbul. The questionnaire featured a section about use of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. The depression, anxiety, anger, assertiveness, sensation seeking and impulsiveness subscales of the Psychological Screening Test for Adolescents (PSTA) were used. The analyses were conducted based on 4957 subjects.

RESULTS

Logistic regression analyses were conducted with each school with the related and behavioral variables as the dependent variables. Gender, tobacco, alcohol, and drug use being the independent variables. All four independent variables predicted the dependent variables. Lifetime tobacco and drug use had significant effects on all the subscale score, whereas lifetime alcohol use had significant effects on all the subscale scores other than lack of assertiveness, and male gender was a significant covariant for all the subscale scores. Drug use showed the highest effect on dependent variables. Interaction was found between effects of tobacco and alcohol on anxiety, whereas interactions were found between effects of tobacco and drugs on lack of assertiveness and impulsiveness.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggested that male students with lifetime tobacco, alcohol or drug use have particularly high risk of psychological and behavioral problems. The unique effects of substance clusters on these problems may be useful in developing secondary preventive practices for substance use and abuse problems in Istanbul.

Hostility and cigarette use: a comparison between smokers and nonsmokers in a matched sample of adolescents

INTRODUCTION

We examined the association between hostility-a personality trait reflective of negativity and cynicism toward others-and smoking in adolescents by measuring (a) several subcomponents of hostility, and (b) facial emotion processing ability, which has been previously linked to hostility.

METHODS

Participants (N = 241 aged 14-19) were 95 smokers and 95 demographically matched nonsmokers as well as 51 nonmatched smokers. All participants completed the Cook-Medley (C-M) hostility scale, which provides a general hostility score and 3 component scores (cynicism, hypersensitivity, and aggressive responding), and a facial emotion processing task. This task, designed to assess emotion recognition, requires quickly identifying the emotion of faces that gradually morph from neutral to high-intensity happy, angry, or fearful.

RESULTS

Independent sample t tests indicated that matched smokers scored significantly higher in cynicism and aggressive responding than nonsmokers. Among smokers, age of smoking onset was negatively correlated with general hostility and aggressive responding. All hostility scales were positively correlated with the intensity needed to recognize happy faces. Counterintuitively, smokers required a greater intensity to recognize angry faces than nonsmokers. No other relations between hostility/smoking status and facial emotion processing were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Aspects of hostility, particularly aggressive responding, may be a risk factor for early onset smoking. Although hostile participants exhibited a deficiency in their ability to recognize happiness in facial pictures, these results did not translate to differences in smoking status. This study elucidates some of the complex interrelations between hostility, emotion processing, and adolescent smoking, which may have implications for teen smoking prevention.

Effects of stressors on the reinforcing efficacy of nicotine in adolescent and adult rats

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Stress increases drug intake. This depends on the stressor, drug, and aspect of drug seeking assessed. The objectives of these experiments done in adolescent and adult male rats were to (1) examine social defeat effects on acquisition of nicotine self-administration (SA) and the reinforcing efficacy of nicotine and (2) determine the effects of acute exposure to intermittent footshock (FS) or yohimbine on the reinforcing efficacy of nicotine.

METHODS

In experiment 1, rats received four defeat exposures prior to nicotine SA acquisition and progressive ratio (PR) SA sessions (30 μg/kg nicotine/infusion). Exposure to an olfactory cue previously paired with defeat was also tested on responding maintained by nicotine on the PR schedule. In experiments 2 and 3, the effects of FS (5 and 10 min) or yohimbine (0.625 and 1.25 mg/kg, i.p.) on PR responding for nicotine (15, 30, or 60 μg/kg/infusion) were assessed. Adolescents were aged PD34-36 and adults PD81-85 at the beginning of nicotine SA training.

RESULTS

Defeat did not affect nicotine SA acquisition. Prior exposure to defeat or a defeat-paired olfactory cue did not affect PR responding for nicotine. FS modestly decreased PR responding in adolescents at the middle nicotine infusion dose. Yohimbine increased PR responding independent of nicotine infusion dose and age.

CONCLUSIONS

Together with previous work with other drugs, our data indicate that the effects of stress on the reinforcing efficacy of nicotine are stressor- and drug-dependent. This suggests that there is heterogeneity among stressors on how they affect neuronal systems underlying drug intake.

Application of the protection motivation theory in predicting cigarette smoking among adolescents in China

Reducing tobacco use among adolescents in China represents a significant challenge for global tobacco control. Existing behavioral theories developed in the West - such as the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) - may be useful tools to help tackle this challenge. We examined the relationships between PMT factors and self-reported cigarette smoking behavior and intention among a random sample of vocational high school students (N=553) in Wuhan, China. Tobacco-related perceptions were assessed using the PMT Scale for Adolescent Smoking. Among the total sample, 45% had initiated cigarette smoking, and 25% smoked in the past month. Among those who never smoked, 15% indicated being likely or very likely to smoke in a year. Multiple regression modeling analysis indicated the significance of the seven PMT constructs, the four PMT perceptions and the two PMT pathways in predicting intention to smoke and actual smoking behavior. Overall, perceived rewards of smoking, especially intrinsic rewards, were consistently positively related to smoking intentions and behavior, and self-efficacy to avoid smoking was negatively related to smoking. The current study suggests the utility of PMT for further research examining adolescent smoking. PMT-based smoking prevention and clinical smoking cessation intervention programs should focus more on adolescents' perceived rewards from smoking and perceived efficacy of not smoking to reduce their intention to and actual use of tobacco.

Disposable income with tobacco smoking among young adolescents: a multilevel analysis

PURPOSE

Prior studies examining the connection between disposable income and adolescent smoking often yielded mixed results, partly due to the lack of consideration for contextual variables. In the present study, we sought to broaden understanding of disposable income on adolescent smoking behaviors via both absolute and relative perspectives in the school context.

METHODS

We obtained data from the 2010 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Taiwan. Information concerning sociodemographics, disposable income, smoking history, and contextual smoking exposure (e.g., school) were assessed via self-report. Recent-onset smokers were defined as those who had their first cigarette within two years of the survey. Complex survey and multilevel analyses were carried out to estimate association.

RESULTS

Adolescents with higher monthly disposable income were 2∼5 times more likely to start smoking and become regular smokers. Having the least disposable income in a class appeared linked with increased risk of tobacco initiation by 40% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2%-91%). Pupils' odds to start smoking were lowered to .70 when the majority of schoolmates had low disposable income (95% CI: .51-.99).

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent risk of smoking initiation may be differentially affected by individual- and contextual-level absolute and relative disposable income. Future research is needed to delineate possible mechanisms underlying unfavorable health behaviors associated with disposable incomes in early adolescence.

Developmental trajectories of cigarette use and associations with multilayered risk factors among Chinese adolescents

INTRODUCTION

We aimed to identify developmental trajectories of cigarette use and risk factors associated with the distinct developmental courses of smoking in Chinese early adolescents from age 12 to 16 years.

METHODS

Analysis was conducted with secondary data from a longitudinal, prospective cohort of 3,521 Chinese adolescents randomly selected from 4 rural and 7 urban middle schools in Wuhan, China. A group-based growth mixture modeling approach was adopted to identify developmental trajectories of cigarette use. Multilayered intrapersonal (e.g., attitudes toward smoking) and interpersonal (e.g., parental smoking and perceived parental disapproval of smoking) risk factors selected from an ecological perspective were prospectively linked to the identified patterns of smoking trajectory.

RESULTS

Three trajectory patterns were identified from the whole cohort: nonsmokers (48.7%), stable light/occasional smokers (48.6%), and accelerating smokers (2.7%). After adjustments for gender, urban residence, and family socioeconomic status, adolescents with higher levels of problems in parent-child relationships and family disharmony, higher perceived norms of peer smoking, higher proportion of good friend smoking, having more troubles with teachers, poorer academic performance, and reporting more frequent depressive symptoms were significantly more likely to be in the trajectory group of either stable light/occasional smokers or accelerating smokers than in the group of nonsmokers. The probability of being in the accelerating smoking trajectory group was positively and significantly related to parental smoking and lack of school bonding.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings help to advance knowledge of the distinct developmental courses of smoking behavior and their associations with multilayered risk factors among Chinese early adolescents.

A Protection Motivation Theory-Based Scale for Tobacco Research among Chinese Youth

Rates of tobacco use among adolescents in China and other lower and middle-income countries remain high despite notable prevention and intervention programs. One reason for this may be the lack of theory-based research in tobacco use prevention in these countries. In the current study, a culturally appropriate 21-item measurement scale for cigarette smoking was developed based on the core constructs of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). The scale was assessed among a sample of 553 Chinese vocational high school students. Results from correlational and measurement modeling analysis indicated adequate measurement reliability for the proposed PMT scale structure. The two PMT Pathways and the seven PMT constructs were significantly correlated with adolescent intention to smoke and actual smoking behavior. This study is the first to evaluate a PMT scale for cigarette smoking among Chinese adolescents. The scale provides a potential tool for assessing social cognitive processes underlying tobacco use. This is essential for understanding smoking behavior among Chinese youth and to support more effective tobacco use prevention efforts. Additional studies are needed to assess its utility for use with Chinese youth in other settings.

Prevalence of and factors associated with daily smoking among Inner Mongolia medical students in China: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND

To date, no study on smoking behavior of medical students in Inner Mongolia has been reported. The aim of the present study was to determine the 1-month prevalence of and factors associated with daily smoking among medical students in Inner Mongolia of China, to assist interventions designed to reduce the smoking behavior of medical college students in this region.

METHODS

During December 2010 and January 2011 a cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical students at the Inner Mongolia Medical College using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: students' basic information, attitude on smoking behavior, and smoking status of the student daily smokers. Students who smoked every day in the last 30 days were regarded as daily smokers. Factors associated with smoking were identified using binary logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 6044 valid surveys were returned. The overall prevalence of daily smoking was 9.8% while the prevalence of daily smoking among males and females were 29.4% and 1.7%, respectively. Males in the Faculty of Medicine Information Management had the highest daily smoking rate (48.9%). Logistic regression models found that the main factors associated with daily smoking among male medical students were highest year of study (OR = 3.62; CI: 1.18-11.05); attitude towards smoking behavior Do not care about people smoking around you (OR = 2.75; CI: 2.08-3.64); and Smoking is harmful to their health (OR = 4.40; CI: 2.21-8.75). The main factor associated with daily smoking among female medical students was attitude towards smoking behavior Eliminate smoking on campus (OR = 0.11; CI: 0.06-0.23). Both for male and female medical students, there was no association between ethnicity and cigarette daily smoking. In regard to smoking status, more than 60% of daily smokers began smoking in high school, 61.3% smoked less than 5 cigarettes per day, 62.9% of the daily smokers' families opposed their smoking behavior, and after an hour of not smoking 74.6% daily smokers did not feel uncomfortable.

CONCLUSIONS

Antismoking education should be further promoted in Inner Mongolia medical students, with consideration given to the factors associated with daily smoking behavior found in the present study.

Tobacco addiction and the dysregulation of brain stress systems

Tobacco is a highly addictive drug and is one of the most widely abused drugs in the world. The first part of this review explores the role of stressors and stress-associated psychiatric disorders in the initiation of smoking, the maintenance of smoking, and relapse after a period of abstinence. The reviewed studies indicate that stressors facilitate the initiation of smoking, decrease the motivation to quit, and increase the risk for relapse. Furthermore, people with depression or an anxiety disorder are more likely to smoke than people without these disorders. The second part of this review describes animal studies that investigated the role of brain stress systems in nicotine addiction. These studies indicate that corticotropin-releasing factor, Neuropeptide Y, the hypocretins, and norepinephrine play a pivotal role in nicotine addiction. In conclusion, the reviewed studies indicate that smoking briefly decreases subjective stress levels but also leads to a further dysregulation of brain stress systems. Drugs that decrease the activity of brain stress systems may diminish nicotine withdrawal and improve smoking cessation rates.

'A real man smells of tobacco smoke'--Chinese youth's interpretation of smoking imagery in film

Previous studies have associated youth's exposure to filmic images of smoking with real-life smoking acquisition; initial research in low- and middle-income countries confirms this relationship. The present study in Yunnan, southwest China sought answers to the following questions: How do young people in China make sense of smoking imagery they have seen in film? How are these perceptions shaped by the cultural and social context of images? How do these understandings relate to real-life tobacco use? A study with focus groups and grounded theory was conducted in 2010 and 2011 (Sept-Jan) with middle-school students ages 12 and 13 (n=68, focus groups=12, schools=6). Films and media literacy were important means through which knowledge about smoking was constructed and communicated. Film representations of smoking concurred with Chinese social behaviour (Confucian social networks, face-making, and the notion of society as a harmonious social unit), and were interpreted as congruent with real-life smoking. This pattern, in turn, was intertwined with perceived gender identities of smokers, gender-specific social behaviour, and willingness of girls to explore issues of gender equity. These findings lend new insights into interaction between smoking imagery in film and Chinese youth's smoking beliefs. Tobacco control programs in China should consider young people's interpretations of smoking and the ways they are nested in cultural and social milieu.

Prevalence and associated factors of smoking among secondary school students in Harare Zimbabwe

Background

There is a growing epidemic of tobacco use among adolescents in the developing world. However, there is no up to date information on smoking among adolescents. Although in the developing world concerted efforts are being made to control tobacco use, Zimbabwe does not have any documented tobacco control programmes. We estimated the prevalence of smoking among school going secondary school students in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Methods

A 3-stage stratified random sampling was employed to select six participating schools and students. A descriptive analysis was conducted to describe the demographic characteristics of the participants. The prevalence of smoking was estimated and the comparison of prevalence was performed according to its associated factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for smoking.

Results

650 students with a mean age 16 years and 47% of them female participated. Prevalence of ever-smoked was 28.8% (95% CI 25.3 to 32.3). Prevalence of ever-smoked among males (37.8%) was significantly (p < 0.001) much higher than among females (18.5%). In the multivariate analysis, smoking was found to be statistically associated with having friends that smoke (OR 2.8), getting involved in physical fights (OR 2.3), alcohol use (OR 5.7), marijuana use (OR 8.1) and having had sexual intercourse (OR 4.4).

Conclusions

The study provides recent estimates of prevalence of smoking, and indicates that there is still a high prevalence of smoking among urban secondary school students. Exposure to friends who smoke, risky behaviour like substance abuse, premarital sex and physical fights are significantly associated with smoking. Interventions to stop or reduce the habit should be implemented now and future studies should monitor and evaluate the impact of the interventions.

Substance use among late adolescent urban youths: mental health and gender influences

This paper explores gender and mental health influences on alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use among late adolescent urban youths. Specifically, we examine whether rates of substance use differ by gender, whether mental health indices differ by gender and are predictive of substance use, and whether gender moderates the relationship between mental health and substance use. Data from our non-clinical sample of 400 youths were collected primarily online. Analysis of cross-sectional data revealed no differences in substance use by gender. Indices of mental health differed by gender, with girls reporting greater symptoms of depression and anxiety. Ratings of hostility were similar for boys and girls. Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use were associated with greater symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility; this relationship, however, was not moderated by gender. Study findings provide evidence that among late adolescent youths living in urban areas, poorer mental health status is associated with increased substance use. Evidence of a moderating effect of gender on the relationship between mental health and substance use was not significant.