Factores asociados a la susceptibilidad al consumo de cigarrillo en escolares de 10 y 11 años en Cartagena, Colombia

Objetivo Determinar los factores asociados a la susceptibilidad al consumo de cigarrillo en escolares de 10 y 11 años  de sexto grado de la ciudad de Cartagena, Colombia.Método Se realizó un estudio analítico observacional transversal, con una muestra no probabilística por conveniencia de 289 escolares de 10 y 11 años de sexto grado de colegios públicos de Cartagena, Colombia. La información se recolectó a través de la ficha demográfica, el inventario de consumo de cigarrillo y actitudes frente al mismo de la Encuesta Mundial Sobre Tabaquismo en jóvenes (Emta_Joven), escala de susceptibilidad a la persuasión hacia el consumo, la escala Apgar familiar, Rosenberg para autoestima y la escala de Zung de ansiedad.Resultados participaron 289 estudiantes, media para la edad 10,9 (DE=0,25); 157 (54,3%) fueron mujeres y 132 (45,7%) fueron hombres. La frecuencia de experimentación con cigarrillo alguna vez en la vida fue 20 (6,9%) y la alta susceptibilidad al consumo de cigarrillo fue 61 (21,1%). Los factores que se asociaron a alta susceptibilidad a la persuasión para consumo de cigarrillo fueron: ser del sexo masculino (OR de 2,81;  IC95%: 1,56-5,08), disfunción familiar (OR: 2,29; IC95%: 1,23-4,24) y haber fumado alguna vez en la vida (OR: 3,41; IC95%: 1,34- 8,67).Conclusiones  la susceptibilidad al consumo de cigarrillo en estudiantes de sexto grado se asoció a ser del género masculino, la disfuncionalidad familiar y haber fumado alguna vez en la vida.

Hispanics' locus of control, acculturation, and wellness attitudes

There is reason to believe that various cultural attitudes and beliefs influence certain health behaviors, and additional research should identify the causes of such behaviors. This study explored the relationships among cultural identity, acculturation, locus of control, and health beliefs using a sample of 110 Hispanic individuals taking college classes in the southern or southwestern United States. Path analysis indicated that an external locus of control was positively related to health barrier perceptions and that acculturation was negatively related to health barrier perceptions. The findings suggest that Hispanics' perceived control over health outcomes and positive health beliefs could be enhanced with culturally perceptive counseling.

Neighborhood Effects on Youth Substance Use in a Southwestern City

This study examines neighborhood influences on alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use among a predominantly Latino middle school sample. Drawing on theories of immigrant adaptation and segmented assimilation, we test whether neighborhood immigrant, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition, violent crime, residential instability, and family structure have differential effects on substance use among youth from different ethnic and acculturation backgrounds. Data are drawn from self-reports from 3,721 7(th) grade students attending 35 Phoenix, Arizona middle schools. Analysis was restricted to the two largest ethnic groups, Latino students of Mexican heritage and non-Hispanic Whites. After adjusting for individual-level characteristics and school- level random effects, only one neighborhood effect was found for the sample overall, an undesirable impact of neighborhood residential instability on recent cigarette use. Sub-group analyses by individual ethnicity and acculturation showed more patterned neighborhood effects. Living in neighborhoods with high proportions of recent immigrants was protective against alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use for Latino students at different acculturation levels, while living in predominantly Mexican heritage neighborhoods (mostly non-immigrants) was a risk factor for alcohol and marijuana use for less acculturated Latinos. There were scattered effects of neighborhood poverty and crime, which predicted more cigarette and alcohol use, respectively, but only among more acculturated Latinos. Inconsistent effects confined to bilingual and more acculturated Latinos were found for the neighborhood's proportion of single mother families and its residential instability. No neighborhood effects emerged for non-Hispanic White students. Results suggested that disadvantaged neighborhoods increase substance use among some ethnic minority youth, but immigrant enclaves appear to provide countervailing protections.

Youth Resilience Framework for reducing health-risk behaviors in adolescents

Adolescents engage in risky behaviors that compromise their health. Leading causes of morbidity and mortality are associated with a few preventable health-risk behaviors initiated in childhood and early adolescence. Interventions that enhance protective factors in childhood are needed to offset these vulnerabilities and thus promote the health of adolescents. The Youth Resilience Framework is presented that addresses individual and sociocultural risk factors and protective resources that can influence health outcomes throughout adolescence. This framework incorporates a developmental approach to address precursors and health-risk behaviors that may be amenable to early health-promoting interventions.

A mediated moderation model of cigarette use among Mexican American youth

The current study tested a model examining both the direct and mediated effects of Ethnic Cultural Norms (ECN) on cigarette use in a sample of Mexican American youth (ages 11-14; N=921). Contextual risk factors (peer smoking and family smoking) were included as potential moderators of this mediational relationship. A product of coefficient (alpha beta) method to test the significance of the mediated effect [Evaluation Review 17 (1993) 144.] was adapted to assess the mediation of interaction effects. Results suggested that Tobacco Avoidance Self-Efficacy mediated the protective influence of ECN on cigarette use. However, as peer smoking increased, the influence of ECN on cigarette use diminished, though it remained a significant, protective influence on cigarette use. Results are discussed in terms of the potential synergy between ECN and social influence training in tobacco preventive intervention development among youth of Latin descent.

Predictors of cigarette and alcohol susceptibility and use among Hispanic migrant adolescents

BACKGROUND

Little is known about interpersonal and broader sociocultural factors related to protection from or use of tobacco and alcohol among immigrant adolescents. This study presents the baseline predictors of tobacco and alcohol use and susceptibility to tobacco and alcohol among Hispanic migrant adolescents.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 660 Hispanic adolescents (51% male) between the ages of 11 and 16 years enrolled in the Migrant Education Program through the County Office of Education. Slightly more than 75% of the study sample was first generation Hispanics and 79% preferred to speak Spanish. An interviewer-administered survey assessed the following information: standard demographic characteristics, modeling of cigarette smoking (including parental and peer smoking), attitudes (including self-standards and anticipated outcomes), acculturation, communication with parents, amount of social support, and satisfaction with social support.

RESULTS

Significant predictors of susceptibility to tobacco and smoking status included age, gender, attitudes toward cigarettes (e.g., anticipated outcomes, self-standards), satisfaction with social support, and parent-child communication. Factors that were also significant predictors of susceptibility to alcohol and drinking status were age, attitudes toward drinking, satisfaction with social support, and level of parent-child communication. In addition, peer and household use of alcohol predicted adolescent outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these results it is suggested that tobacco and alcohol prevention efforts for first-generation Hispanic adolescents should target not only usual concerns (e.g., availability, peer pressure, modeling, expectancies), but also parent-child communication.