Abstract
OBJECTIVESThe purpose of this study was to identify the trajectories and potential predictors of tobacco use during adolescence in Korea and to develop appropriate strategies for the implementation of tobacco use prevention programs.METHODSThe trajectory of tobacco use and associated predictors were analyzed for 1,169 male students from grade 6 (age 11-12) to grade 10 (age 15-16) in the Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey from 2012 to 2016.RESULTSThree trajectories of smoking experience were identified: non-smokers (class 1: n=775, 82.3%), temporary users (class 2: n=32, 3.4%), and regular users (class 3: n=135, 14.3%). When compared to non-smokers, temporary users had a higher likelihood of living with a single parent, dissatisfaction with grades, having a girlfriend, having been victimized at least once, and having at least 1 delinquent friend in grade 7 (when smoking experimentation was at its peak). Significant factors associated with regular use included having a girlfriend, committing at least 1 type of delinquent behavior, and being a non-reader. Committing at least 1 type of delinquent behavior and having at least 1 delinquent friend were associated with regular users, distinguishing them from temporary users.CONCLUSIONSUnderstanding why adolescents exhibit different trajectories of tobacco use by identifying the factors associated with each trajectory can contribute to the development of tailored prevention strategies and early cessation programs for adolescents.
Highlights
Most tobacco use begins in childhood or adolescence when an individual is most vulnerable to social influences that promote tobacco use, such as having friends who smoke, engaging in problem behaviors, having a person at home who smokes, policies on sales to minors, smoke-free policies, and tobacco company marketing [1]
Trajectory analysis from previous studies divided the course of childhood and adolescent tobacco use into several categories such as never-smokers, triers, experimenters, and regular smokers
This study was the first to identify multiple trajectories of smoking behavior as well as the smoking-related factors associated with each trajectory using a representative sample of Korean adolescents
Summary
Most tobacco use begins in childhood or adolescence when an individual is most vulnerable to social influences that promote tobacco use, such as having friends who smoke, engaging in problem behaviors, having a person at home who smokes, policies on sales to minors, smoke-free policies, and tobacco company marketing [1]. Trajectory analysis from previous studies divided the course of childhood and adolescent tobacco use into several categories such as never-smokers, triers, experimenters, and regular smokers These studies established common predictors of becoming a sustained smoker through several distinct stages [4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Variability and inter-individual changes over time in tobacco use behaviors among children and adolescents could be examined Factors such as gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, academic performance, parent and/or peer tobacco use, tobacco bans at home and/or in public spaces, and perceptions of the tobacco industry have been identified, among others, as predictors of tobacco use trajectories [6,8,9]
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