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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Tami M Videon, PhD, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 30 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, 718-920-5488, tvideon@rci.rutgers.edu
BACKGROUND. Previous research indicates that adult offspring who experienced parental divorce are more likely to smoke than adults who grew up in continuously intact households. The present study examines whether adolescents whose parents divorce have a greater likelihood of (1) experimenting with cigarettes and (2) becoming regular smokers. METHODS. The relation between adolescent smoking, parental divorce, and peer behaviors was examined using The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Logistic regression analyses provide estimates of the effects of divorce, and peer and parenting smoking behaviors. RESULTS. Adolescents whos parents divorced were 80% more likely to experiment with cigarettes and 54% more likely to begin smoking regularly than their peers who remained in intact homes. Adolescents whose parents divorced reported significantly more friends who smoked prior to divorce, and reported greater increases in the number of their friends who smoked after divorce. Friends' smoking behavior was significantly associated with adolescent smoking behavior. Peer smoking behaviors explained differences by family structure. CONCLUSIONS. Children of divorce are at substantially higher risk to experiment with cigarettes and to become regular smokers. Interventions aimed at these adolescents should provide skills for dealing with peer pressure to smoke and parental knowledge of the importance of peers. LEARNING OBJECTIVES. 1. Recognize adolescents who experience parental divorce as a risk group for experimentation and initiation of regular smoking. 2. Identify the mechanisms whereby divorce is related to higher risks for cigarette usage 3. Exchange ideas about targeted prevention efforts.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Tobacco
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.