Primary social factors and smoking in Korean adolescents

Aim The present study aimed to examine the effects of primary social factors on the smoking behaviors according to the smoking stages-initiation and continuation-among Korean adolescents. Subject and methods We used the clustered logistic regression method to examine whether the primary social factors significantly influence smoking behaviors among Korean adolescents at two different stages with a cross-sectional study for 9 years. Results We found that primary social factors significantly influenced adolescent smoking in both stages, and peer effects for adolescent smoking were much clearer in the smoking continuation stage. In addition, adolescents initiating smoking early tend to continue their smoking with high probability. Conclusion The impacts of primary social factors are robust on adolescent smoking, particularly in the smoking continuation stage.