An analysis of 8th and 10th graders who smoke

Abstract

The following work contributes to previous research done on youth smoking in an effort to get at who, among our children, is smoking cigarettes. Predicated on the theory that public policy programs can be more effective if they specifically target populations most at risk for youth smoking, I seek to answer the questions: In the United States, who, among the 8th and 10th grade population, was the most likely to smoke? Are there any specific characteristics that are associated with teens who smoke? In order to answer these questions, I use 2005 individual data from the National Institute of Health's Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (8th- and 10th- grade surveys). According to my two logistic regression models, 8th grade students were less likely to smoke than 10th grade students. The same is true for female students relative to male students and white students as compared with black students. Students who disapproved of smoking or who viewed smoking as a risky behavior were both less likely to smoke than students who do. Similarly, unhappy students were more likely to ever smoke, or to have smoked a cigarette recently, relative to happy students. Students who regularly attended religious services were more likely not to smoke than students who did not. Also, students who had easy access to cigarettes were much more likely to smoke than student with restricted access. Lastly, students who were truant (or whose friends were truant) were much more likely to smoke than non-truant students. Following my analysis, I discuss new directions public policymakers should look to in order for their future anti-tobacco campaigns. This includes limiting access to cigarettes, limiting public (especially youth) approval of cigarette smoking, and continuing to educate students about the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes.