Children’s tobacco use initiation rate determination is not only important for surveillance purposes, but also for the most accurate focused prevention efforts. According to the CDC [1997], among all causes of death and significant morbidity for adults 25 years of age or older, 67% are a result of two causes – cancer [24%] and cardiovascular disease [43%], both of which have been causally linked with tobacco use. Risk-related health behaviors of youth associated with these causes are, therefore, of critical concern to many health professionals and policymakers. Health behavior research indicates that many of the current negative health behaviors of adults began during childhood and adolescence. Previous research in the area of tobacco use initiation has focused primarily on the later years of adolescence and early adulthood, not the years prior to initiation of the behavior. The lack of empirical information regarding health-compromising decisions made during this earlier childhood period, and their relationship to the initiation of tobacco use, provides a compelling area for research. This study focused on the time prior to the decision, when the child begins to formulate his ideas regarding tobacco use as a health risk. North Carolina, the primary tobacco producer in the nation, was chosen as the primary research site due to the special resources of both a dramatically heightened health threat, in terms of community pressures to use tobacco products, and a fairly consistent statewide educational initiative to combat these environmental pressures.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to 1) Identify prevalence and relative risk rates of tobacco use initiation in various age groups of children 2) Identify key environmental factors associated with children's tobacco use initiation; and 3) Differentiate risk factors for tobacco use in elementary and middle school-aged students.
Keywords: Decision-Making, Epidemiology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.