Youth Prevention

Research

Determinants of hookah use among high school students
A new study shows that over a quarter of surveyed high school students have smoked hookah, and that many students believe that it is safer and more socially acceptable than smoking cigarettes. In order to explore characteristics of hookah users, researchers surveyed 689 high school students in San Diego County, California, asking about their attitudes, beliefs, and use of hookah. The results showed that 26.1% of the students had ever used hookah, 10.9% had done so in the past month, and 10.3% were current hookah users. Respondents believed that smoking hookah was more socially acceptable and less dangerous than smoking cigarettes or cigars or using smokeless tobacco. Current and ever-users of hookah were also more likely to have smoked cigarettes and to know of hookah lounges in their community than non-users or former users. The authors say that the findings support the need for regulation of hookah lounges to decrease hookah use among high school students. Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Affecting perceptions of harm and addiction among college waterpipe tobacco smokers
A new study shows that simple educational interventions about the harms of waterpipe smoking may be effective in influencing college-aged individuals to quit. Researchers conducted a web-based study that randomized waterpipe users to receive an online presentation including general information about waterpipes only (controls) or general information plus facts about the harms of waterpipe smoking. At six-month follow-up, 62% of participants in the experimental group reported having quit waterpipe use, compared to 33% in the control group. Participants who received information about the harms of waterpipe smoking also reported greater perceived risk, worry about harm and addiction, and greater desire to quit. This research demonstrates that harm perceptions for waterpipe use among college students can be changed through simple interventions. Read the study abstract, to be published in an upcoming issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Control.

Smoking patterns, attitudes and motives: Unique characteristics among 2-year versus 4-year college students
A new study published in Health Education Research describes differences in smoking patterns, attitudes about smoking, and motivation to smoke between two-year and four-year college students. An online survey was used to gather data from Midwestern undergraduate students aged 18-25 attending either a two-year college (n=750) or a four-year university (n=1,515). Data analysis showed that students enrolled in the two-year college had higher rates of current smoking (43.5% versus 31.9%) and daily smoking (19.9% versus 8.3%) than those attending the four-year university. Two-year college students also had less negative attitudes about smoking, and were more motivated to smoke to regulate mood instead of for social reasons compared to those in the four-year university. The authors note that tobacco prevention and cessation efforts may need to be adapted to the different attitudes, motivations, and behaviors related to smoking in two-year versus four-year college students. Click here to read the study abstract.

Mediating influences of negative affect and risk perception on the relationship between sensation seeking and adolescent cigarette smoking
A new study presented in Nicotine & Tobacco Research indicates that the impact of sensation seeking on smoking among adolescents is mediated by negative mood and risk perception. A total of 1,688 San Diego area students were surveyed to determine their substance abuse behaviors and related attitudes. Researchers found that higher sensation seeking was associated with both past thirty-day and lifetime smoking. Lower perceptions of the risks of smoking and negative mood were found to be mediating factors between sensation seeking and smoking. The authors suggest that lowered risk perception among sensation-seeking youth could be addressed through high sensation anti-tobacco messages, and that sensation-seeking youth could also benefit from learning about healthy ways to cope with negative moods. Click here to read more.

Different genes influence smoking risk during adolescence and adulthood
According to research published in Biological Psychiatry, variations in certain genes are associated with smoking initiation and continuation, especially among adolescents. Smoking behavior, genetic data, and information on other risk factors was collected from 4,762 participants in the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort to determine the association between certain genes and smoking behaviors. Results showed that variations in a set of dopamine-related genes were associated with smoking initiation, particularly during adolescence, and variations in another set related to nicotinic cholinergic receptors were associated with the likelihood that adolescent smokers would continue to smoke into adulthood. The authors suggest that the dopamine-related genes may contribute to addiction risk in youth through thrill-seeking, while the cholinergic receptor genes, which are related to mood and cognition, may link to self-mediation models of addiction. The authors say that this information could be used to develop genetic testing for nicotine dependence susceptibility and targeted drug therapy to change a person’s response to nicotine. Click here for more information, or click here to read the study abstract.

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