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Comparative Study
. 2004 Feb;94(2):293-9.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.2.293.

From adolescence to young adulthood: racial/ethnic disparities in smoking

Phyllis L Ellickson  1 , Maria Orlando, Joan S Tucker, David J Klein
Affiliations
Comparative Study

From adolescence to young adulthood: racial/ethnic disparities in smoking

Phyllis L Ellickson et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Feb.

Erratum in

  • Am J Public Health. 2004 Apr;94(4):520

Abstract

Objectives: We used data gathered from 6259 youths between the ages of 13 and 23 years to compare trends in smoking among 4 racial/ethnic groups.

Methods: We weighted trend data to represent baseline respondent characteristics and evaluated these data with linear contrasts derived from multiple regression analyses.

Results: Although African Americans exhibited higher initiation rates than Whites, they exhibited consistently lower rates of regular smoking than both Whites and Hispanics. This seeming anomaly was explained by African Americans' lower rates of transition to regular smoking and greater tendency to quit. Racial/ethnic disparities were accounted for by differences in pro-smoking influences.

Conclusions: Reducing racial/ethnic disparities in smoking may require reducing differences in the psychosocial factors that encourage smoking.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Racial/ethnic trends in (a) lifetime, (b) past-year, and (c) weekly smoking from adolescence to young adulthood.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Racial/ethnic trends in selected risk factors between the ages of 13 and 18 years: (a) smoking intentions (b) alcohol use frequency (c) cigarette offers (d) poor school grades (e) best friend smokes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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