Abstract
BackgroundIn this study, we used data from Australia’s Northern Territory to assess differences in self-reported smoking prevalence between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. We also used urinary cotinine data to assess the validity of using self-reported smoking data in these populations.MethodsThe Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC) is a prospective study of 686 Aboriginal babies born in Darwin 1987–90. The Top End Cohort (TEC) is a study of non-Indigenous adolescents, all born in Darwin 1987–91. In both studies, participants aged between 16 and 21 years, were asked whether they smoked. Urinary cotinine measurements were made from samples taken at the same visits.ResultsSelf-reported smoking prevalence was 68% in the ABC and 14% in the TEC. Among the self-reported non-smokers, the median cotinine levels were higher in the ABC (33 ng/ml) than in the TEC (5 ng/ml), with greater percentages of reported non-smokers in the under 50 ng/ml group in the TEC than in the ABCConclusionsPrevalence of smoking was much higher in the ABC than in the TEC. The higher cotinine levels in ABC non-smokers may reflect an underestimated prevalence, but is also likely to reflect higher levels of passive smoking. A broader approach encompassing social, cultural and language factors with increased attention to smoking socialisation factors is required.
Highlights
In this study, we used data from Australia’s Northern Territory to assess differences in self-reported smoking prevalence between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations
Both studies were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the Northern Territory Department of Health and the Menzies School of Health Research (ABC reference number 05/26, Top End Cohort (TEC) reference number 07/20)
Average age at assessment for those with smoking data was similar between the cohorts (mean was 17.9 (1.13) for the Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC) and 18.1 (1.38) for the TEC)
Summary
We used data from Australia’s Northern Territory to assess differences in self-reported smoking prevalence between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. We used urinary cotinine data to assess the validity of using self-reported smoking data in these populations. After adjusting for differences in the age structures of the two populations, daily smoking was 2.2 times more common among Indigenous people aged 15 years or older in 2010 than among their non-Indigenous counterparts (38% and 18%, respectively [3]). A comparison of trends of smoking prevalence among Indigenous and non-. In order to inform different intervention strategies to further reduce initiation and prevalence of smoking in young Australians, it is important to explore the differences in smoking prevalence between adolescent non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians
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