EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO-SMOKE - PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Background. A study was designed to investigate the knowledge, attitud es, and preventive efforts with regard to exposure to environmental to bacco smoke (ETS) among a sample of urban African American children an d adolescents. Methods. A sample of 675 students enrolled in grades 5 through 12 in an urban public school district located in the greater m etropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan, was surveyed. Results. Smoking rates among students were higher if someone else in the home was a smo ker and lower if there were no other smokers in the home. Forty-eight percent of the students reported that their fathers smoked, while 46% reported mothers who smoked. In each of the areas knowledge, attitudes , and preventive efforts, elementary students scored highest and middl e school students scored lowest. Attitude scores were higher if the mo ther or father was a nonsmoker, and nonsmokers scored higher than smok ers on knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts. Students' prevent ive efforts were significantly predicted by their knowledge, attitudes , and gender, while their attitudes were in turn predicted by their kn owledge, gender, school level, and smoking status and by the proportio n of their friends who were smokers. Students' knowledge was significa ntly predicted by their gender and school level and by the proportion of their siblings who were smokers. Conclusions. It is apparent that m any of the African American students surveyed in this study experience significant exposure to ETS, particularly in the home. As is evident from the literature, this has implications for the long term health of these youngsters. Health education and promotion efforts should be di rected not only toward the students themselves, but should also addres s the smoking behavior of parents and others in the home environment. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.