Determinants of youth smoking-evidence from Turkey

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of smoking among middle- and high-school students in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected from 4800 students in the second semester of the 1997–98 academic year to investigate substance use prevalence among young people. In addition to classical independent variables, factors which are not frequently used in the literature—such as school type, neighborhood, family religiosity, and factors reflecting the cultural background of the students—are included in the analysis. The results of binomial logistic regression offer evidence for the effects of school type, a smoking-related attitude, presence of a stepmother, father's use of alcohol, sister and brother who smoke, student's alcohol use, and participation in art activities.