ETHNIC AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING PREVALENCE AMONG A LONGITUDINAL SAMPLE OF INNER-CITY ADOLESCENTS

Purpose: To determine if ethnic and gender differences in smoking (lif etime prevalence and 30-day prevalence) exist among a cohort of Asian, black, Hispanic, and white inner-city adolescents during the 3-year m iddle school period. Methods: Students in 22 urban schools completed s elf-report questionnaires and provided carbon monoxide breath samples at three annual assessments. Chi-square analyses were conducted to tes t for associations between ethnic group (Asian, black, Hispanic, and w hite) and smoking and to test for gender differences in smoking within each ethnic group. Additional analyses examined differences in smokin g between two Hispanic subgroups (Puerto Rican and Dominican). Results : Ethnicity was associated with lifetime smoking prevalence at all thr ee assessment points but was only associated with 30-day smoking preva lence at the 2-year follow-up. However, there were no differences in s moking between Puerto Rican and Dominican youth. Black girls reported higher lifetime smoking prevalence than black boys at all three assess ments. At the 2-year follow-up, Asian boys reported higher lifetime sm oking prevalence than Asian girls; Hispanic girls reported higher 30-d ay prevalence than Hispanic boys. Conclusions: White and Hispanic adol escents were at higher risk for smoking relative to Asian and black ad olescents. With the exception of white youth, gender differences were found within each ethnic group. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1 998.