The social environment is most important for not using snus or smoking among adolescents
2012 (English)In: Health, ISSN 1949-4998, Vol. 4, no 12, p. 1247-1255Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Aims: To identify factors, which were related to being smoke-free and snus-free, respectively, among adolescents in relation to adolescents who were smoking and/or using snus, and de-termine if there were any sex differences. Me- thods: A questionnaire study was performed among students in year two in upper secondary schools (17-years-old) in southern Sweden in 2009. More than 2200 students completed the questionnaire regarding health and living habits anonymously. The variables were tested by χ²-test, before selection into the logistic model. Because of the salutogenic approach in the study, the results of the logistic regression analyses were expressed as Positive Odds Ratio (POR). Results: The prevalence of being smoke- free was 75.6 percent for girls and 70.2 percent for boys, whilst the prevalence of being snus- free was 95.1 percent for girls and 70.2 percent for boys. Having a tobacco-free best friend was the most important factor that correlated with being smoke- and snus-free as an adolescent, for both boys and girls. Good living habits, such as drinking less alcohol, were also central to being smoke-free and snus-free. Conclusions: The results show that a tobacco-free environ-ment has a great influence on whether or not adolescents stay tobacco-free. As the environ-ment has a big impact, the school has a big challenge to work with the school environment and policies but also with family responsibility, norms and attitudes to tobacco.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 4, no 12, p. 1247-1255
Keywords [en]
Adolescents, Cross-Sectional, Salutogenic, Snus-Free, Smoke-Free, Social Environment
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hkr:diva-9966DOI: 10.4236/health.2012.412184OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hkr-9966DiVA, id: diva2:580592
2012-12-232012-12-232025-02-20Bibliographically approved