Abstract
A survey of 625 elementary school children in an urban area for substance use, specifically, cigarets, alcohol and drugs, and the social factors associated with such use, revealed 38 admitted smokers in this age range, strongly influenced by parents, siblings and peers who smoked. Cigaret use was also associated with drug and alcohol use. These findings corroborate those from studies of teenagers who smoke, showing that peer pressure is not the sole factor in starting to smoke, as several other studies have claimed. In elementary school children, smoking is rare enough to be considered an early indicator of social deviation.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bewley B. R., Bland J. M., Harris R. Factors associated with the starting of cigarette smoking by primary school children. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1974 Feb;28(1):37–44. doi: 10.1136/jech.28.1.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- CARTWRIGHT A., THOMSON J. G. Young smokers. An attitude study among schoolchildren, touching also on parental influence. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1960 Jan;14:28–34. doi: 10.1136/jech.14.1.28. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HORN D., COURTS F. A., TAYLOR R. M., SOLOMON E. S. Cigarette smoking among high school students. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1959 Nov;49:1497–1511. doi: 10.2105/ajph.49.11.1497. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hamburg B. A., Kraemer H. C., Jahnke W. A hierarchy of drug use in adolescene: behavioral and attitudinal correlates of substantial drug use. Am J Psychiatry. 1975 Nov;132(11):1155–1163. doi: 10.1176/ajp.132.11.1155. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- O'Rourke A., Wilson-Davis K. Smoking and school children. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1970 Dec;20(101):354–360. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Robins L. N. Epidemiological approaches to natural history research. Antisocial disorders in children. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1981 Summer;20(3):566–580. doi: 10.1016/s0002-7138(09)61645-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SALBER E. J., MACMAHON B. Cigarette smoking among high school students related to social class and parental smoking habits. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1961 Dec;51:1780–1789. doi: 10.2105/ajph.51.12.1780. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wohlford P., Giammona S. T. Personality and social variables related to the initiation of smoking cigarettes. J Sch Health. 1969 Oct;39(8):544–552. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1969.tb07050.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]