Sociocultural factors associated with smoking behavior by Puerto Rican adolescents in Boston

This study examined cigarette smoking among Puerto Rican adolescents in the Boston area in its sociocultural context by describing who uses cigarettes, and by identifying factors that encourage or discourage cigarette use. The study, conducted from 1986-87, used two approaches. The first was to survey 605 Puerto Rican households with adolescents 11-20 years old. Households were identified from a random sample of census blocks in five neighborhoods. In each household, interviews were completed with one adolescent and his or her female caretaker. The second approach was to conduct ethnographic interviews with 40 adolescents selected through a purposive sample of survey respondents from three of the study neighborhoods. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to examine the relationships between smoking behavior and characteristics of the adolescents. The results of these analyses were examined in light of the ethnographic data. Overall, 13.7% reported smoking in the month preceding the interview. Smoking was most prevalent among males 17-20. Patterns of smoking were associated with teens' social networks. The Puerto Rican adolescents in this study were more likely to smoke when their friends and household members smoked, if they participated in recreational activities such as sports or unsupervised games, and if they were not in school. These effects varied according to the gender of the respondent.