Identification of Adolescents at Risk for Smoking Initiation: Validation of a Measure of Susceptibility
Document Type
Article
Department
Community and Global Health (CGU)
Publication Date
1-1997
Disciplines
Applied Behavior Analysis | Health Psychology | Mental and Social Health | Substance Abuse and Addiction
Abstract
Primary prevention of smoking in adolescents requires effective screening instruments for identifying those adolescents who are most likely to experiment with cigarettes. This study investigated the predictive value of a measure of susceptibility to smoking (the lack of a firm commitment not to smoke) for predicting smoking initiation 1 and 2 years later among 687 seventh-grade nonsmokers. Results showed that susceptible adolescents were approximately two to three times more likely to experiment with cigarettes during the ensuing 2 years than were nonsusceptible adolescents. At the lower levels of smoking, these relationships persisted even after controlling for psychosocial variables. Measures of susceptibility to smoking could be an effective tool for identifying adolescents at increased risk of experimenting with cigarettes or assessing their readiness for smoking-prevention programs.
Rights Information
© 1996 Elsevier Ltd.
DOI
10.1016/0306-4603(95)00107-7
Recommended Citation
Unger, J.B., Johnson, C.A., Stoddard, J.L., Nezami, E., & Chou, C-P. Identification of adolescents at risk for smoking initiation: Validation of a measure of susceptibility. Addict Behav, 22(1), 81-91, 1997.
