Smoking Experimentation among Elementary School Students in China: Influences from Peers, Families, and the School Environment

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Cheng Huang, George Washington University; Shaohua Yu, Georgia State University; Changwei Li, Tulane University; Chaoran Guo, Emory University; Jing Liu, Off Justice Res & Performance; Hui Li, Chinese Ctr Dis Control & Prevent Ningbo; Michelle C Kegler, Emory University; Pam Redmon, Emory University; Michael Eriksen, Georgia State University; Jeffrey Koplan, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-08-22
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 Huang et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073048
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS ONE
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: e73048
• End Page: e73048
• Grant/Funding Information: The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. No additional external funding received for this study.; The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.; This publication is based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (grant number 51437).
• Keywords: INITIATION; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Science & Technology; EUROPEAN COUNTRIES; UNITED-STATES; ADOLESCENT CIGARETTE-SMOKING; SOCIAL INTERACTIONS; Multidisciplinary Sciences; PREVALENCE; RISK-FACTORS; YOUTH; PREVENTION; TOBACCO USE
• Research Categories: Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate experimentation with smoking among primary school students in China. Data were acquired from a recent survey of 4,073 students in grades 4 to 6 (ages 9-12) in 11 primary schools of Ningbo City. The questions were adapted from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Results suggest that although the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) encourages smoke-free schools, experimentation with cigarettes remains a serious problem among primary school students in China. Peers, family members, and the school environment play important roles in influencing smoking experimentation among students. Having a friend who smoked, seeing a family member smoke, and observing a teacher smoking on campus predicted a higher risk of experimentation with smoking; the exposure to anti-tobacco materials at school predicted a lower risk of experimentation with smoking. The evidence suggests that public health practitioners and policymakers should seek to ensure the implementation of smoke-free policies and that intervention should target young people, families, and communities to curb the commencement of smoking among children and adolescents in China.