Determinants of youth smoking--evidence from Turkey

This paper investigates the determinants of smoking among middle- and high-school students in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected from 4800 students in the second semester of the 1997-98 academic year to investigate substance use prevalence among young people. In addition to classical independent variables, factors which are not frequently used in the literature--such as school type, neighborhood, family religiosity, and factors reflecting the cultural background of the students--are included in the analysis. The results of binomial logistic regression offer evidence for the effects of school type, a smoking-related attitude, presence of a stepmother, father's use of alcohol, sister and brother who smoke, student's alcohol use, and participation in art activities.