Who Smokes, Who doesn't, and Why?

This topic submitted by Codie, Devaka, Diane, Dustin, Lisa (jonesdi@ureach.com) at 10:37 am on 10/5/01. Additions were last made on Friday, April 19, 2002. Section: Wagner

Introduction
Our purpose is to find out who smokes, who doesn't, and why they do or don't smoke. Our research will try to find at-risk groups for smoking. . We are answering the question "Who smokes, who doesn't, and why?" We predict that people who smoke will be mostly non-athletic, will have parents who smoke, will smoke due to peer pressure, and will be mostly male.
Our hypothesis is that there are multiple factors involved in people's decisions to smoke (or not to smoke) We think that these factors will include: being non-athletic, having parents who smoke, being pressured by peers, and being male.
Our null-hypothesis is that one or more of these factors will not appear to influence the decision to smoke or not to smoke.
This question is important to us because it will show groups who are more susceptible to becoming smokers and/or becoming addicted to smoking. Knowing these factors could help in determining which groups should be targeted by anti-smoking campaigns. This could help prevent members of these groups from becoming smokers and avoid the risks to their health that smoking poses, including cancer, emphysema, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and complications to pregnancy.

Relevance
This study is expected to yield information about the smoking habits of men and women on the Western and Main Campuses. In conducting this experiment we will attempt to uncover any distinctions that can be made between groups of smokers. Many previous studies have been conducted in this area. For example, The Journal of Adolescent Health carried an article in 1998 entitled "Smoking Initiation in Youth: The Roles of Gender, Race, Socioeconomics, and Developmental Status". This study found that smoking was more prevalent among white children than among African American children (Harrel, p. 271). It also found that boys smoked more than girls (Harrel, p. 271).
Harald Janson of the University of Stockholm did a study which compared the number of cigarettes smoked per day of people between the ages of 15 and 36. He found that typical development included smoking intensely, smoking less intensely for some periods, smoking intensely, then quitting before the age of 36 (p 239).
Christine Jackson and Lisa Henriksen conducted a study in which they found that children who have parents who smoke, are more likely to smoke themselves (p. 107).

Materials and Methods
We are going to ask each group to distribute surveys, then collect completed surveys to and from both smokers and non-smokers on Western and Main campuses. Each group will be responsible for 25 surveys on each campus. Each individual within the group will be responsible for making sure that his or her surveys are filled out completely and accurately. We suggest that those conducting the surveys watch while the surveys are being completed and collect them immediately upon completion. Simply dropping off surveys and asking people to drop them off when they're done will not work.
The materials used will be 200 surveys, 50 for each of the four groups in the class with two surveys on each 8.5" by 11" piece of paper. The members of the class will be conducting the research that we will be using to make calculations.
Our data sheet will be the survey, to be completed by survey-takers. We will compare the answers of smokers and non-smokers to each question.

References
"Cognitive Succeptibility to Smoking and Initiation of Smoking during Childhood: A Longitudinal Study" Jackson, Christine. Preventive Medicine 27, 129-134 (1998)
"Smoking Behaviour: predisposition or adaptation?" Brynin, Malcolm. Journal of Adolescence 1999, 22, pp. 635-646
"Age at Smoking Onset and its Effect on Smoking Cessation" Khuder, Sadik A. . Addictive Behaviors, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 673-677, 1999
"Do as I Say: Parent Smoking, Antismoking Socialization, and Smoking Onset Among Children" Jackson, Christine and Lisa Henriksen. Addictive Behaviors, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 107-114, 1997.
"Peers, Schools, and Adolescent Cigarette Smoking" Alexander, Cheryl et. al. Journal of Adolescent Health 2001, 29:22-30.

SURVEY

Do you smoke? Yes No
If so, how often do you smoke? (cigarettes per day) _________
How old are you? _________
How long have you smoked? ____________
What class are you in (year of graduation from college)? ___________
Why do you think most people smoke?
peer pressure family problems stress relief addiction other
Rate your activity level (in sports or in general) from 1-10. _____
Are you male or female (circle one).
Are your parents: divorced separated married re-married
Do you consider yourself to be in good physical condition? Yes No
Would you say that the majority of your friends smoke? Yes No
Does either(or both) of your parents smoke? Yes No
Define your ethnic background:____________________________________________________

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