Patterns of Cigarette Use Among Black and White Adolescents

Abstract

The authors compared peer and familial correlates of smoking among black and non‐Hispanic white teenagers. Some earlier school‐based studies suggested that black teens are predominately peer‐driven smokers and not especially influenced by parental smoking behavior. Using national and California‐based survey data, the authors applied logistic regression analysis to corroborate earlier research indicating, among both samples of black teens, that smoking was significantly associated with having best friends and siblings who smoke, and parental smoking did not correlate significantly with smoking. For the non‐Hispanic white sub‐samples, the evidence was less clear. Logistic regression data also showed adolescent smoking primarily as a peer‐ and sibling‐influenced activity.