Demographic and psychosocial characteristics of western Pennsylvania school-age tobacco users

A 25-item tobacco usage questionnaire was presented to 2,189 subjects in grades 1 through 12 in a school district in Western Pennsylvania. It was found that thirty percent (30 percent) of the subjects were former or current cigarette smokers. Approximately 20 percent of the subjects reported using snuff, while approximately 16 percent reported using chew. Use of smokeless tobacco was found to be associated with such variables as grade level, school grade-average, parents' education, parents' use of tobacco, peer tobacco usage, and participation in certain sports.