Does Early Smoking Signal Later Problems
Abstract
The observation that adolescents who smoke also tend to have a variety of other problems (including the use of alcohol and other drugs, academic difficulties, delinquency, and impaired relationships) is not new. But a recent series of studies by Phyllis Ellickion and her colleagues at RAND has extended those observations to examine the long-term social consequences of smoking in early adolescence. Whereas earlier studies focused on older adolescents, we have examined the trajectory of smoking from the middle school years to the end of high school and have assessed the association between early smoking (both committed smoking and "experimenting") and other concurrent high-risk behaviors as well as later behaviors. We found that even occasional smoking during the middle school years may contribute to later problems, including dropping out of high school. The RAND Adolescent Panel Study was a longitudinal study of middle (junior) high school students from California and Oregon conducted to evaluate a drug prevention program we had developed for middle school children. We surveyed participants as seventh graders in 1985 and then, again, five years later. Rigorous tracking allowed us to retain nearly 70 percent of the seventh grade sample over this five-year period; weighting the sample allowed us to compensate for the remaining attrition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA400787
Entities
Organizations
- RAND Corporation