DO MINORITIES SMOKE MORE? A COMPARISON OF SMOKING PREVALENCE AND OTHER SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS BETWEEN ETHNIC ROMANIAN AND HUNGARIAN TEENAGERS IN ROMANIA
DO MINORITIES SMOKE MORE? A COMPARISON OF SMOKING PREVALENCE AND OTHER SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS BETWEEN ETHNIC ROMANIAN AND HUNGARIAN TEENAGERS IN ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: This study was designed to evaluate differences in smoking prevalence among the two ethnic groups living in common geographical settings in Romania and to identify other attributes associated with ethnicity, which may contribute to higher cigarette consumption among the Hungarian minority. Method: The randomized multistage stratified cluster sampling included 1249 adolescents from 36 schools and 72 classes in three Romanian districts. Self-administered questionnaires were used with 61 questions yielding 210 variables. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association of smoking with ethnicity and other social parameters. Results: A regression model with four levels of input variables showed a high degree of multicollinearity with the following correlated predictors: Hungarian ethnicity (OR=1.71, p=0.017 on a first level), low school performance (OR=2.31, p=0.001) urban area, internet access and ethnicity on a second level. After adding a set of psycho-social parameters to the demographic variables, we also found predictive for smoking: superficial relationship with parents (OR=1.83, p=0.001), not enjoying school (OR=2.15, p=0.001), periods of depression (OR=1.83, p=0.005), internet access (OR=1.93, p= 0.005) and urban area (OR=1.49, p=0.054). Conclusion: This study documents an increased risk of smoking among Hungarian minority teens in Romania. Correlations between ethnicity and some social factors are also pronounced, but understanding the associations and testing their causality is needed to better address the problem. Results point out the importance of identifying specific causes and discovering the mechanism of the complex network of psychosocial influences.

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