Toward an explanation of observed ethnic differences in youths' tobacco use.

We examined whether differences in smoking rates of Asian and white/Caucasian youth could be explained by personal (gender, employment status, volunteerism, parental education, and income) and social factors including differences in youths' relationships with their parents, extent of enculturation, and exposure to parental or peer smoking. A survey was conducted of a random sample of schools in 2 cities in British Columbia, Canada to obtain data from 3,278 high school students. Results from logistic regression analysis indicated smoking status was explained by place of birth, volunteerism, amount of income received from parents and employers, characteristics of the parentalchild relationship, and parental and peer smoking status. Differences in the estimated risks of smoking of Asian youth and white youth were moderated by the youths' willingness to tell their parents about their lives, whether they worked for pay, and whether the Asian youth spoke English at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]