Settings Matter: Examining the Association Between Social Class Discrimination in and Out-of-School,Tobacco Use,and Nicotine Vaping Among Adolescents

Abstract

Despite widespread research on tobacco use and social class, there have been limited studies examining how social class discrimination relates to tobacco use. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study with 956 adolescents. Participants were disadvantaged in social class. Tobacco use included lifetime and past month use of combustible tobacco and nicotine vaping. Social class discrimination included multiple sources, such as teachers, classmates, teenagers, friends, and community members. Latent profile analyses revealed four subgroups of adolescents with experiences of social class discrimination: Frequent, Infrequent, Out-of-School, and In-School. Adolescents in the Frequent and Out-of-School subgroups used the most tobacco products, whereas adolescents in the In-School and Infrequent subgroups used the least tobacco products. Race/ethnicity and gender were associated with subgroup membership. Findings highlight the need for social class discrimination interventions.