Saturation of tobacco smoking models and risk of alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health 2004-09, Vol.35 (3), p.190-196
• Main Authors: Taylor, Jennifer E, Conard, Mark W, Koetting O'Byrne, Kristin, Haddock, C Keith, Poston, W S Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Alcohol consumption; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Behavior, Addictive - psychology; Family - psychology; Female; Friends - psychology; Gender differences; Humans; Imitative Behavior; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Missouri - epidemiology; Models, Psychological; Parent-Child Relations; Peer Group; Predictors; Probability; Risk Factors; Risk-Taking; Saturation; Sex Factors; Smoking; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking - psychology; Social Support; Surveys and Questionnaires; USA; Young people
• ISSN: 1054-139X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1054-139X(04)00087-4

To examine how saturation of an adolescent's environment with models of cigarette smoking (e.g., parents, siblings, friends) affects the probability of tobacco and alcohol use among junior high and high school students. The Health and Smoking Questionnaire was administered to 806 adolescents (182 smokers and 624 nonsmokers; 57.2% female) average age of 15.1 years (SD = 1.6) in a mid-size Midwestern town. The questionnaire contains standardized items in five domains: demographics, smoking status and history, perceptions of risk and risk reduction, risk factors for tobacco use, and parenting style. Risk for smoking or using alcohol increased dramatically as the number of models who smoke increased in an adolescent's environment. For instance, adolescents with one significant other who smoked were nearly four times (OR = 3.76, p