4011.0: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - Board 6

Abstract #5709

Healthy Generations: A study of culturally-specific parental prompts to smoke among youth

Rafael Laniado-Laborín, MD, MPH1, Susan I. Woodruff, PhD1, Jeanette I. Candelaria, MPH1, Adriana Villaseñor, BS1, and James F. Sallis, PhD2. (1) Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Court, Ste. 221, San Diego, CA 92123, (619)594-2424, jcandelaria@projects.sdsu.edu, (2) Psychology, San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court, Ste. 250, San Diego, CA 92120

Our previous work with Latino youth, indicated that Latino parents, more so than non-Latinos, may prompt their children to engage in behaviors putting them in direct contact with cigarettes or inadvertently encourage them to "practice" smoking-related behaviors. As part of a larger prospective study examining these prompts as smoking initiation risk factors, this study documented the extent of parental prompts. Prompting is defined as six parent behaviors, including asking the child to: (a) empty/clean ashtrays, (b) bring cigarettes to parent, (c) buy cigarettes for parent, (d) light parent's cigarette with a match or lighter, (e) start the cigarette in his/her own mouth and then pass it to parent, and (f) smoke with the parent. Preliminary data for 1,500 middle school students (970 Latinos) reveal that among those with at least 1 smoking parent, 68% reported some form of prompting. Requests to bring cigarettes (58%) and empty ashtrays (44%) were the most frequent prompts, followed by requests to light cigarettes (16%), buy cigarettes (10%), start cigarettes in the mouth (3.5%), and smoke together (1.6%). Smoking mothers tended to do all prompts slightly more than smoking fathers. Girls were more likely than boys to be asked to bring cigarettes to the parent, although no sex differences emerged for any other prompt. A logistic regression showed that requests to light cigarettes with a match or lighter (OR=2.3) and to smoke together (OR=5.0) were significantly associated with student smoking. Data will soon be available for 1,500 more students, and final analysis will be presented.

Learning Objectives: NA - poster presentation

Keywords: Latino, Smoking

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA