Smoking Among Off-Reserve First Nations, Métis, and Inuit High School Students

• Published in: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Main Authors: Evelyne Bougie, Dafna Kohen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Western Ontario 2018
• Subjects: tobacco; cigarette; Indigenous; youth; family; peer; school climate; school connectedness; extracurricular activities; socio-economic status; edu; psy; First Nations; inuit
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2018.9.2.1; https://doaj.org/article/8b979981aed54c848eede0ea5eb423f7

Using data from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), this study investigated associations between smoking and a number of school, peer, and family characteristics among off-reserve First Nations (n = 2,308), Métis (n = 2,058), and Inuit (n = 655) high school students aged 12 to 21 years. Logistic regressions revealed important group differences in Indigenous youths' correlates of smoking. Characteristics that were negatively associated with smoking included attending a school with a positive environment or having peers with high educational aspirations among First Nations students; participating in school-based club extra-curricular activities or living in a smoke-free home among Métis; and living in higher-income families among Inuit. A consistent risk factor for smoking among all Indigenous students was having close friends who engaged in risk behaviours.