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 last 30 days) 14 through 22 years of age in the United States were surveyed with random-digit dialing. The results of this cross-sectional survey were analyzed using logistic regression to determine predictors of nonsmoking and intent to stop among current smokers. RESULTS: Controlling for age, ethnicity, and education, nonsmokers were more likely to consider smoking risky than smokers (odds ratio OR = 3.46). Nonsmokers were twice as likely to consider secondhand smoke dangerous than smokers (OR = 1.47). Among the variables in our model, the only statistically significant predictor of planning to stop smoking or having actually stopped was believing that secondhand smoke harmed nonsmokers, which more than doubled the chances of planning to stop or having stopped smoking (relative risk = 2.17). CONCLUSIONS: Educating young people about the dangers of secondhand smoke and empowering nonsmokers to speak out should be a strong element of any tobacco control program.