Smoking in children: Developing a social psychological strategy of deterrence

Evans, Richard I.

doi:10.1016/0091-7435(76)90015-3

Cited by 247 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…1 2 An increase in nicotine dependence or "regulation" occurs over short periods of time,3 suggesting to some that lowering T/N content may do more harm than good. However, T/N yields have declined by about one-half over the past 15-20 years without a doubling of cigarette consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of students' self-reported cigarette smoking status with plasma cotinine levels.

Williams¹,

Eng²,

Botvin³

et al. 1979

Am J Public Health

121

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Plasma cotinine levels were measured in 137 students (ages 14 to 17 years), as an independent validation of self-reported cigarette smoking status. Ninety-five per cent of the students who reported daily cigarette smoking had detectable cotinine levels. In contrast, only 2 per cent of students who reported that they never smoke cigarettes had detectable levels of plasma cotinine. Results suggest that adolescents can report accurately on their smoking status if sufficient assurance of confidentiality is stressed. (Am J Public Health 69:1272-1274 During the past few years, several innovative approaches to the problem of childhood onset of cigarette smoking have been developed. The most successful preventive measures appear to be school-based programs which utilize peer group dynamics and focus on external pressures to smoke (peer group, advertisements, parent role models) as well as internal psychological pressures.1-3 Evaluation of the success of these intervention strategies has depended primarily on students' self-reported cigarette smoking behavior surveyed before and after intervention. The validity of such self-reports has been questioned since cigarette smoking as a taboo behavior for young teenagers would be likely to be underreported.4The following study reports on a comparison of students' confidential reports of their smoking behavior and simultaneous plasma levels of cotinine as a means of measuring the validity of the students' responses. Materials and MethodsA random subsample of students participating in the health screening portion of a school health education program, "Know Your Body,"' were selected for the cotinine study. Since the health screening already included a survey of health habits and a venous blood sample for total cholesterol, a random number of 140 blood samples were marked for cotinine analysis without knowledge of the smoking status of the child. Students were not aware that cotinine levels would be measured on a subsample of participants. Selected students were 14 to 17 years of age (grades 8, 9, or 10), 64 male, 73 female, 134 white and 6 black. All attended public school in two predominantly white (95 per cent) middle class New York school districts. Three students were excluded from the data analysis because of lost questionnaires or insufficient blood sample. One hundred thirty-seven matched cotinine levels and smoking self-reports were available for analysis. All data were collected between January and May, 1978. Students completed a Health Habits Survey consisting of 12 questions related to cigarette smoking and alcohol use. Questionnaires were filled out in private and then placed into a slotted ballot box. Students were assured that all data from this questionnaire would be used for research purposes only and would not be identified with the students' name in any reports.Venipuncture was performed within 10 minutes of completion of the smoking questionnaire. Plasma cotinine levels* were determined by radioimmunoassay as described by Langone, et al.6 This me...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of students' self-reported cigarette smoking status with plasma cotinine levels.

Williams¹,

Eng²,

Botvin³

et al. 1979

Am J Public Health

121

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A plausible explanation for this is that college students are not yet independent enough to resist a social pressure toward smoking (Katz, Robisch, & Telch, 1989). Accordingly, the aim of many smoking prevention programs is to improve the target group's ability to resist such pressure (Botvin & Eng, 1982;Evans, 1976;Katz et al, 1989;Kreuter et al, 2014). Physical activity often plays an important role in smoking prevention programs (Escobedo, Marcus, Holtzman, & Giovino, 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Psychological Predictors of Initial Cigarette Smoking Experience

et al. 2014

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Knowledge about social and psychological risk factors for initial cigarette smoking experience (ICSE) is sparse. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of ICSE and to examine the psychological and social factors related to ICSE. In a cross-sectional survey, 1,511 male college students were recruited using multistage sampling techniques from four universities located within the city of Ilam, Iran. Self-administered multiple-choice questionnaires were distributed to students from March to June 2013. Risk factors for ICSE were evaluated using logistic regression models. Participants were 22.3 ± 2.4 years of age. ICSE prevalence was 30.6%. In multivariable adjusted analysis, risk taking behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-2.33), perceived peer smoking prevalence (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.03-5.97), positive thoughts about smoking (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.02-1.10), high self-efficacy (OR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.93, 0.98]), presence in smokers' gathering (OR = 4.45; 95% CI = 2.88-6.81), comity of smokers (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.66, 3.92), very hard access to cigarettes (OR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.16-4.16), close friends' medium reaction toward smoking (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.02-1.88), and sporting activity (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.56-0.98) were significantly associated with ICSE. This study identified that a combination of psychological and social variables account for up to 78% of the probability of ICSE. The most important protective factor against ICSE was physical activity, whereas the most important risk factor for ICSE was frequent gathering in the presence of smokers.

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“…For example, the Houston Project trained adolescents to cope with the pressures to smoke rather than emphasizing the long-term disease consequences (Evans, 1976;Evans et al, 1978). Adolescents cannot imagine long-term consequences; they envision themselves as living forever (Blos, 1979).…”

Section: Smoking Alcohol and Drugsmentioning

confidence: 98%