The Relationship Between Secondhand Smoke Exposure, Pro-Tobacco Social Influences, and Smoking Susceptibility Among Nonsmoking Zambian Adolescents

Abstract

Background: We tested the hypothesis that the extent of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among nonsmoking adolescents would be associated with their overall exposure to pro-tobacco social influences. Methods: Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate methods from the 2011 Zambia Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Results: The odds of SHS exposure increased with increasing exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements. About 39.5% of the gap in SHS exposure between nonsmokers with low versus high smoking susceptibility was attributable to differences in parental or peer smoking. Conclusions: Sustained efforts are needed to denormalize tobacco use in order to reduce youth susceptibility to tobacco use.

Keywords :

• secondhand smoke
• adolescents
• cigarettes
• tobacco
• smoking
• susceptibility

THE AUTHORS

Dr. Israel Terungwa Agaku, conducts epidemiologic research on tobacco products with a focus on the contribution to dependence and abuse liability, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

Dr Tino is a public health practitioner working with the Zambian Ministry of Health and his research interest is in tobacco control advocacy.

Professor Olalekan A Ayo-Yusuf is a Dean at the University of Limpopo and his research interest is in studying alternative tobacco use and tobacco control policy.

GLOSSARY

• Pro-tobacco social influences: Social factors that may catalyze smoking initiation or progression. As used in this study, this encompasses both proximal influences (e.g., parental and peer smoking) and environmental influences (e.g., exposure to pro-tobacco advertising).

• Secondhand smoke: Tobacco smoke exhaled from someone smoking or produced by a smoldering cigarette and involuntarily inhaled by a nonsmoker.

• Smoking susceptibility: A lack of a firm conviction not to smoke a cigarette in the future, or if offered by a close friend.