PREDICTORS OF SMOKING PREVALENCE AMONG NEW-YORK LATINO YOUTH

Background. We examined prevalence rates and risk factors for smoking among Latino adolescents, using a multiethnic sample of sixth- and sev enth-grade students (n = 3129) in 47 New York City public and parochia l schools. Methods. The students completed questionnaires; self-report ed smoking data were collected by means of the "bogus pipeline" techni que. The largest group of Latino students (43%) was Puerto Rican; 20% were of Dominican background, 7% were Colombian, and 7% were Ecuadoria n. "Current smoking" was defined as smoking at least once per month. R esults. A series of logistic regression analyses indicated that peer i nfluence was the strongest predictor of smoking. Family influence was important as well. Conclusions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention.