Prevalence of smoking increases with increasing age during adolescence and, even though some studies report lower levels of smoking in this age group than in the past, it remains a significant problem. The purpose of this study was to compare correlates of smoking in a cohort of 4,641 young people ages sixteen to twenty-one with correlates of smoking in the same group when they were in grades 4 to 6. Questions were included measuring sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status of parents, teachers and peers, fitness and athletic participation, attitudes and knowledge. Stepwise multivariate statistical models were developed that accounted for half of the variance in smoking status. In contrast to the earlier follow-ups, attitude toward smoking has become a more important determinant than it was before, particularly among females. This finding suggests that smoking cessation and prevention programs for this age group should more closely resemble those for adults than those effective at younger ages, where modeling and dealing with peer pressure are stressed.
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