Attitudes toward secondhand smoke, smoking, and quitting among young people

Objective. To assess the impact of attitudes toward secondhand smoke among young people. Methods. Three hundred nonsmokers and 300 smokers (smoked a cigarette in la st 30 days) 14 through 22 years of age in the United States were surveyed w ith random-digit dialing. The results of this cross-sectional survey were a nalyzed using logistic regression to determine predictors of nonsmoking and intent to stop among current smokers. Results. Controlling for age, ethnicity, and education, nonsmokers were mor e likely to consider smoking risky than smokers (odds ratio [OR] = 3.46). N onsmokers were twice as likely to consider secondhand smoke dangerous than smokers (OR = 1.47). Among the variables in our model, the only statistical ly significant predictor of planning to stop smoking or having actually sto pped was believing that secondhand smoke harmed nonsmokers, which more than doubled the chances of planning to stop or having stopped smoking (relativ e risk = 2.17). Conclusions. Educating young people about the dangers of secondhand smoke a nd empowering nonsmokers to speak out should be a strong element of any tob acco control program.