Factors Associated With Current Smoking Among Off-Reserve First Nations and Métis Youth: Results From the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey

Abstract

First Nations and Métis, two of Canada's constitutionally recognized Indigenous groups, suffer from poorer overall health than non-Indigenous Canadians. Current smoking, a known predictor of chronic health conditions, is close to twice as prevalent among Indigenous youth as it is among non-Indigenous Canadian youth. However, little population-level research has examined the correlates of current smoking among this population. Guided by a health framework centered on Indigenous-specific determinants, we used data from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey to examine the correlates of current smoking among First Nations and Métis youth aged 15-17 years living outside of First Nations reserves. Using binary logistic regression, we investigated how culturally specific factors, namely knowledge of an Indigenous language, participation in traditional activities, and family members' attendance at residential schools, were correlated with current smoking. We also considered demographic, geographic, socioeconomic and health-related correlates. Overall, an estimated 20.6% of First Nations and Métis youth reported current smoking. We found no significant associations between culturally specific activities and current smoking in the multivariate analyses, although those who spoke an Indigenous language were more likely to smoke. Those who participated in sports more often were less likely to smoke, and respondents who reported heavy drinking and who were from families with lower income were more likely to smoke. Gender, body mass index, urban/rural geography and regional geography, and mother's highest level of education were not significantly correlated with smoking. The results of our study support prior research that has found a disturbingly high prevalence of current smoking among Indigenous youth, compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Our results highlight the importance of considering sports participation, co-occurring health-risk behaviours and socioeconomic factors when developing interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking among First Nations and Métis youth.

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

“…The association between smoking and household income was in the right direction for the other two groups of students. These findings are in line with the well-known associations between teen smoking and family socio-economic characteristics (Hanson & Chen, 2007;Ryan et al, 2017;Shields, 2005b;Soteriades & DiFranza, 2003;Wen et al, 2009;Wiium & Wold, 2009). Future studies are necessary to better understand why youth from low-income families may be more likely to smoke.…”

“…Past research has shown an association between smoking and frequent participation in extracurricular sport activities among off-reserve Indigenous youth (Ryan et al, 2017). In this study, we paid attention to extracurricular activities that were organized specifically by schools and, in this context, participation in school-based club activities was associated with a lower prevalence of smoking among Métis students.…”

“…A growing body of research has started to examine the factors associated with smoking among Indigenous youth in Canada and the United States. This research has addressed many contributing factors, including cultural factors (Ryan et al, 2017;Soto et al, 2015;Yu, Stiffman, & Freedenthal, 2005); physical activity, co-occurring health-risk behaviours, and socioeconomic factors (Ryan et al, 2017); historical trauma (Soto et al, 2015); mental health and peer influences (Whitlock et al, 2012;Yu et al, 2005); perceived harm from tobacco use (Beauvais, Thurman, Burnside, & Plested, 2007); and academic orientation and stressful life events (LeMaster et al, 2002). This study contributes to this growing body of research by investigating the associations between smoking and various school characteristics, together with family and peer factors, among off-reserve First Nations, Métis, and Inuit high school students.…”

“…Family characteristics that have historically shown consistent associations with adolescent smoking include socio-economic status (e.g., household income and parental education) and household members' smoking behaviours (Hanson & Chen, 2007;Leatherdale, Smith, & Ahmed, 2008;Shields, 2005b;Soteriades & DiFranza, 2003;Wen et al, 2009;Wiium & Wold, 2009). Ryan, Leatherdale, and Cooke (2017) have recently shown that off-reserve First Nations and Métis youth were more likely to smoke if they were from families with lower household incomes. Generally, the mechanisms through which family characteristics relate to teen smoking are role modelling and parenting style (Wen et al, 2009;Whitlock, Sittner Hartshorn, McQuillan, & Crawford, 2012).…”

Social Determinants of Health Among Off-Reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit Youth in Canada

“…I identified eight quantitative studies on the health of Indigenous youth in Canada (Ng et al 2010;Elton-Marshall et al 2013;Kaspar 2013;Ryan et al 2016a;Ryan et al 2016b;Bhawra et al 2017;Van Bewer and Woodgate 2017;Nasreen et al 2018). All of these studies focus on negative outcomes from smoking, heavy drinking and obesity to violence in school and mental illness.…”