Examining the Effects of Parental Influence on Adolescent Smoking Behaviors: A Multilevel Analysis of the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (2003-2011)

Conclusions: We provided new evidence on the factors related to adolescent smoking in low-income countries, a topic that has received very little attention. We showed that the associations between parental influences and adolescent smoking behaviors are not constant but vary according to the level of economic development. Future research should incorporate this comparative dimension in elaborating and specifying the conditions under which parental influences and other predictors differentially affect adolescent smoking. Implications: Prior research on adolescent smoking focused on developed countries. Based on the secondary analysis of the Global School-based Student Health Survey (2003–2011), this study examines the associations between parental influence (parental smoking and parental supervision) on the frequency of youth smoking behaviors in resource-poor countries. We show that parental smoking is positively related to adolescent smoking, while parental supervision is negatively related to it. We also find that these two associations vary according to national wealth: both effects are stronger in a country with higher per capita GDP.
Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research