Gender-specific predictors of cigarette smoking in adolescents: an analysis of sport participation, parental factors and religiosity as protective/risk factors

Abstract

Previous studies reported particularly high incidence of cigarette smoking among adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) but there is evident lack of investigations which systematically investigated the potential protective/risk factors of smoking in B&H and surrounding countries. The aim of this study was to examine the gender-specific protective/risk factors (predictors) for daily smoking among adolescents, residents of Herzegovina-Neretva County in B&H. The study sample comprised 1036 17- to 18-year-old adolescents (435 boys and 601 girls, all of whom were in their last year of high school). The predictors included factors of parental monitoring, parents’ educational level, sport factors and religiosity of the participants. A forward stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis with single dichotomous criterion (daily smoking vs. non-smoking) was applied. Regression model revealed lower maternal education (OR: 0.69; CI: 0.53–0.91), lower level of conflict with parents (OR: 1.44; CI: 1.12–1.83) and advanced individual sport participation (OR: 0.66; CI: 0.48–0.92) as protective factors of smoking; while advance team sport participation was strong risk factor of daily smoking for boys (OR: 2.17; CI: 1.53–3.10). Among girls, the higher level of conflict with parents is found to be a factor of increased risk for daily smoking (OR: 2.17; CI: 1.61–2.91). Further studies are needed to explain the issue for the entire geographic territory while observing some possible confounding factors (i.e. school monitoring of smoking, financial status, etc.)