NCJ Number
219359
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 42 Issue: 5 Dated: 2007 Pages: 837-851
Date Published
2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study identified the behavior and characteristics of nondaily smokers and how they differed from daily smokers among 4,473 smokers from 29 secondary schools (grades 9-13) in 2000-2001 in Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
Based on the smoking patterns identified, the smokers were placed in two classifications entitled "situational" smokers (n=4,349) and "ubiquitous" smokers (n=124). Situational smokers included students who may have smoked frequently but tended to be lighter smokers. The majority of situational smokers never smoked on school property and never smoked with their parents. They did not report that they smoked because they were addicted, bored, pressured into it, or liked the image of smoking. Neither did they report that their friends and siblings smoked or that their parents offered them cigarettes. Of the situational smokers, 63.1 percent were classified as daily smokers. Ubiquitous smokers included students who smoked frequently and tended to be heavier smokers. The majority were boys, had five or more close friends who smoked, and believed that more than 70 percent of the students at their school smoked. Most ubiquitous smokers reported that they often smoked at home and in the evening, at school and throughout the school day, by themselves, and with parents or other family members. The majority of ubiquitous smokers reported that they smoked because they were addicted or bored, their friends smoked, it was enjoyable, or their parents offered them cigarettes. Ubiquitous smokers were most clearly defined by whether they smoked with parents. Understanding factors that differentiate these two types of smokers can help program planners determine what programs are appropriate for whom and how best to reach the different groups of smokers. Cluster analysis was used to classify smokers based on their survey responses. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 18 references