Sense of Coherence and Tobacco Use Myths Among Adolescents as Predictors of At-Risk Youth Cigarette Use

Abstract

We examined the association between a general construct of wellness beliefs, sense of coherence, and a specific measure of tobacco-related beliefs, tobacco use myths, as predictors of two smoking-related outcome measures—next year smoking expectation and last 30-day smoking. Self-report questionnaires were administered to 710 adolescents attending California continuation high schools at baseline and at 1-year follow-up between 2006 and 2008. Cross-sectionally, predictor and outcome measures were correlated. However, in longitudinal analyses, only tobacco use myths predicted change in outcome measures. We speculate that future smoking interventions among adolescents would achieve relatively efficacious outcomes by targeting specific health beliefs instead of global health beliefs. The study's limitations are noted.

Keywords :

• Sense of coherence
• tobacco use myths
• adolescents
• smoking
• cigarettes

THE AUTHORS

Omar El Shahawy, MD, MPH is a PhD candidate in the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Social and Behavioral Health doctoral program. Dr. El Shahawy obtained his medical degree at the University of Ain Shams in Cairo, Egypt, in 2002 and his Master of Public Health (with Merit) in international health development from the Royal Tropical Institute and the Vrjie University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 2007. He first came to VCU as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in 2010, a training fellowship supported by the U.S. Department of State and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. During his Fellowship, he enhanced his experience in drug abuse policy and prevention, with a particular focus on gender issues in adolescent and marginalized groups. He also collaborated on a number of research projects with different universities across the United States. His current research interests include novel tobacco products, water-pipe tobacco, smoking cessation, and patient–physician decision-making.

Dr. Ping Sun received his Ph.D in Preventive Medicine in 1999 from the University of Southern California (USC) Department of Preventive Medicine.  From 1999 to 2012, he worked as Research Associate and then Assistant Professor of Research at USC.  He has served as Biostatistician, Co-I, and Co-PI in more than 10 large-scale NIH-sponsored research projects.  Dr. Sun has also taught several Methods- and Biostatistics-related courses at USC. He currently works as a Sr. Biostatistician at the United Health Groups, Inc.

Jennifer Yo-ka Tsai, MPH, is a doctoral student in the Preventive Medicine, Health Behavior Research Program at the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on substance use and risky sexual behavior prevention interventions among adolescents, and has a keen interest in translational science. She received her of Masters in Public Health from the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

Louise Ann Rohrbach, Ph.D., M.P.H. is currently Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. Her research focuses on interventions to prevent health-compromising behaviors among youth, including tobacco use, alcohol and other drug abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and violence. She has a strong interest in translational research, including investigation of factors that explain and strategies that enhance the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based programs and practices in real-world settings. In 2011, she was recognized by the Society for Prevention Research for her work in this area as the recipient of the Translational Science Award. She has been the principal investigator on a number of prevention science studies and theory-based program evaluations, and has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in the areas of substance use prevention, school-based health, and etiology of adolescent substance use.

Steve Sussman, Ph.D., FAAHB, FAPA, received his doctorate in social-clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984. He is a professor of preventive medicine, psychology, and social work at the University of Southern California (USC), and he has been at USC for 30 years. He studies etiology, prevention, and cessation within the addictions arena, broadly defined. He has over 447 publications. His programs include Project Towards No Tobacco Use, Project Towards No Drug Abuse, and Project EX, which are considered model programs at numerous agencies (i.e. CDC, NIDA, NCI, OJJDP, SAMSHA, CSAP, Colorado and Maryland Blueprints, Health Canada, U.S. DOE and various State Departments of Education). He received the honor of Research Laureate for the American Academy of Health Behavior in 2005, and he was President there (2007–2008). Also, as of 2007, he received the honor of Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 50, Addictions). He was one of the contributing editors of the recently published Surgeon General's Report on “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults.” Also, he is the current Editor of Evaluation & the Health Professions (SAGE Publications).