Abstract
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to explore school and individual characteristics associated with smoking susceptibility among a nationally representative sample of Canadian youth who were never-smokers.
Methods
Using data from the 2006–07 Youth Smoking Survey, multi-level logistic regression modeling was used to examine if student-level and school-level characteristics were associated with smoking susceptibility among grade 9 to 12 never-smokers.
Results
In 2006, 88.2% of Canadian youth in grades 9 to 12 were considered never-smokers, of whom 28.2% (n=255,840) were considered to be susceptible to future smoking. Significant between-school random variation in smoking susceptibility was identified, although the school-level smoking rate was not significantly associated with the risk of an individual student being susceptible. At the student level, smoking susceptibility was associated with having a sibling who smokes, having 1 or 2 close friends who smoke, having ever used alcohol or marijuana, being female and being in grade 9. Parental smoking and exposure to smoking in a car or in the home were not significantly associated with smoking susceptibility.
Conclusion
One way to prevent smoking onset among youth is to interfere with the development of susceptibility to smoking in non-smoking youth population. We found that over 1 in 4 Canadian youth who were never-smokers in 2006 were considered susceptible to smoking in the future. Ongoing tobacco control prevention initiatives are crucial for reducing the prevalence of smoking susceptibility among non-smoking Canadian youth.
Key words: Smoking susceptibility, youth, youth smoking survey, multi-level modeling, social influences, alcohol use, drug use
Résumé
Objectifs
Analyser les caractéristiques scolaires et individuelles associées à la susceptibilité au tabagisme au sein d’un échantillon représentatif national de jeunes Canadiens n’ayant jamais fumé.
Méthode
À l’aide des données de l’Enquête sur le tabagisme chez les jeunes (2006–2007), nous avons utilisé la modélisation par régression logistique multiniveaux pour déterminer si des caractéristiques des élèves et des écoles étaient associées à la susceptibilité au tabagisme chez les jeunes de la 9e à la 12e année n’ayant jamais fumé.
Résultats
En 2006, 88,2 % des jeunes Canadiens de la 9e à la 12e année étaient considérés comme n’ayant jamais fumé; 28,2 % (n=255 840) de ces jeunes étaient jugés susceptibles de fumer plus tard. Nous avons observé des variations aléatoires significatives entre les écoles pour ce qui est de la susceptibilité au tabagisme, bien que le taux de tabagisme par école ne présente pas de corrélation significative avec le risque qu’un élève en particulier soit plus susceptible au tabagisme. Chez les élèves, la susceptibilité au tabagisme était associée aux faits d’avoir un frère ou une soeur qui fume, d’avoir un ou deux amis proches qui fument, d’avoir déjà consommé de l’alcool ou de la marijuana, d’être une fille et d’être en 9e année. Le tabagisme parental et l’exposition au tabac en voiture ou à la maison ne présentaient pas de corrélation significative avec la susceptibilité au tabagisme.
Conclusion
L’un des moyens de prévenir le début du tabagisme chez les jeunes est d’entraver le développement de la susceptibilité au tabagisme dans la population des jeunes non fumeurs. Nous avons observé que plus d’un jeune Canadien sur quatre n’ayant jamais fumé en 2006 était considéré comme susceptible de fumer plus tard. Les initiatives permanentes de prévention du tabagisme sont d’une importance cruciale pour réduire la prévalence de la susceptibilité au tabagisme chez les jeunes Canadiens non fumeurs.
Mots clés: susceptibilité, au tabagisme, jeunes, tabagisme chez les jeunes, analyse multiniveaux, influences sociales, consommation d’alcool, consommation de drogue
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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