Self-Esteem and Educational Aspirations As Determinants of Teen Tobacco Use in Tennessee

BACKGROUND: Numerous factors drive tobacco use among teens, despite the demonstrated harms and educational efforts against such use over the last two decades. Focusing on educational attainment, self-esteem and future life prospects among teens in development of prevention and cessation approaches can have significant efficacy in reducing population smoking habits among teens, providing implications toward significant reductions in long-term adult smoking; as it is demonstrated in the literature that a vast majority of adult smokers begin smoking by the age of 18.  

METHODS: The current study, Self-Esteem and Educational Aspirations as Determinants of Teen Tobacco Use in Tennessee: With Implications for School and Public Health Interventions evaluated the relationship of increased education aspirations with high school tobacco use in Tennessee.  High school smoking data from the Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) were compared to graduation rates and “college going” rates to determine statistical associations of teen smoking with educational attainment. Data were measured on odd-year data points from 2001 – 2011. Six student demographics were selected  for analysis: 12^th graders overall, black high school students, white high school students, Hispanic high school students, male 12th graders, and female 12th graders.  Pearson correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the correlation between tobacco use and educational attainment within the selected student demographics. T-test were conducted on graduation rates, current smoking, and daily 12^th grade smoking to determine if there were significant trends in these data points over the 10 year period studied. 

RESULTS: YRBS over the course of this study sampled high school students in Tennessee, with a 6-year student population sample of 9,461, at an average of 1,576.8 students per year.  Among 12^th graders, daily smoking was strongly inversely associated with graduations rates (Pearson= -0.837). From 2001 – 2011 Tennessee overall high school graduation rates have increased significantly from 79.5 to 85 percent. Conversely during this same time period neither 12^th grade current smoker nor daily smoker variables had statistically significant trends.

CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the motivational effects of teen smoking will allow public health and school administrators to devise more effective interventions for this population; with greater implications for bending the societal smoking curve downward as a result. Creating and implementing youth smoking cessation programs that consider the motivations behind educational attainment aspirations may render more effective and improved outcomes.