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Cigarette smoking in multicultural, urban high school students
P Holowaty1, L Feldman, B Harvey
1Toronto Public Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Canadian high school students who identified as Canadian were more likely to smoke cigarettes than other ethnic groups. Peer influence and lifestyle factors are key targets for prevention programs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cigarette use among adolescents is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding ethnic variations in smoking patterns is crucial for targeted interventions.
- Multicultural urban settings present unique challenges for smoking prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine cigarette smoking patterns in a multiethnic high school population.
- To identify factors associated with smoking across different ethnic groups.
- To inform the development of effective health promotion strategies.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 1236 students (grades 9-13) in Toronto.
- Lifestyle questionnaire with an 86% response rate.
- Statistical analysis using Epi Info (CSAMPLE) to account for clustered sampling.
Main Results:
- Canadian-identified students had higher smoking rates (29%) compared to other ethnicities (13%).
- No significant increase in smoking rates observed for immigrants after two years in Canada.
- Current smoking was strongly associated with drinking, sexual activity, and friends' smoking, with variations across ethnic groups.
Conclusions:
- Prevention programs should emphasize the impact of peer smoking.
- Integrating lifestyle factors associated with smoking is recommended for all ethnic groups.
- Tailoring interventions to the multicultural context of urban schools is essential.