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Smoking behavior in nine year old children: a replication and extension study.
Advances in Alcohol & Substance Abuse
|January 1, 1990
Summary
This study found that 41% of children have tried smoking, with experimenters showing positive attitudes towards cigarettes. These findings highlight early adolescent experimentation with smoking and its perceived benefits.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Tobacco Control
Background:
- Previous research indicated 35% of 9-year-olds had experimented with cigarettes.
- Adolescent smoking experimentation remains a significant public health concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate and extend earlier findings on childhood cigarette experimentation.
- To assess the prevalence and attitudes associated with early smoking behaviors in children.
Main Methods:
- Replicated an earlier study with a combined sample of 1,148 children (787 from earlier, 361 from current).
- Collected data on cigarette experimentation, including recent use (last year, 4 weeks, week).
- Assessed children's attitudes towards smoking through comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- 41% of the current sample reported having puffed a cigarette.
- 18% had tried smoking in the last year, 6% in the last 4 weeks, and 3.5% in the last week.
- Children who experimented with smoking exhibited significantly more positive attitudes, viewing it as 'good, wise and fun.'
Conclusions:
- Early adolescent experimentation with cigarettes is prevalent.
- Experimentation is linked to positive perceptions of smoking, suggesting a need for targeted prevention.
- Findings underscore the importance of early intervention strategies to curb adolescent smoking initiation.