Harry Kwon, MPH, CHES, Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park, CHHP, College Park, MD 20742, 301-572-0303, harry.t.kwon@orcmacro.com and Min Qi Wang, PhD, Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, CHHP, College Park, MD 20742.

Today, Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority in the United States. Asian American youth are at risk of developing risk behaviors, such as tobacco use. This study examined the association between several common youth risk behaviors, including tobacco use among Asian Americans, using data (N=409) from the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) to adjust the standard error estimate of the multistage sampling. The main outcome variable was cigarette smoking behavior (past 30 days) reported as a binary (dichotomous) variable. The significant predictors from the univariate model were alcohol use, marijuana use, academic grades, multiple sex partners, age, grade level, and weight (p<.05). The multivariate logistic regression revealed that Asian American youth who engaged in alcohol use (OR=11.97, p<.001), used marijuana (OR=7.08, p<.05), had poor academic grades (OR=4.09, p<.05), and had two or more sexual partners (OR=3.06, p<.05) were more likely to be involved with tobacco use. At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to recognize common youth risk behaviors that play a role in tobacco use and apply this information in developing health education programs for all high school grade levels.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, participants in this session will be able to—
• List the psychosocial risk factors associated with adolescent tobacco use
• Identify contrasts in the profiles of adolescents who engage in tobacco use
• Articulate the implications for intervention and prevention research, as suggested by the study findings
• Discuss future research directions that are suggested by the study findings.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.