Effect of mental health on tobacco use among adolescents in rural Sichuan： mediation of life satisfaction

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand the current situation of tobacco use among rural adolescents in Sichuan Province and its influencing factors， to explore the relationship between smoking behavior and psychosocial influencing factors of rural adolescents in Sichuan Province， and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of smoking among rural adolescents.MethodsAn "Adolescent Health Questionnaire" was used as the survey tool to investigate 2 671 students in the 8th and 11th grades of two township middle schools in Zizhong County， Sichuan Province. The structural equation model in Mplus 7.0 was used to analyze the relationship between adolescent tobacco use behavior， mental health， and life satisfaction.ResultsAmong the surveyed adolescents， 28.3% （756/2 671） had tried tobacco products， and 9.5% （255/2 671） had used tobacco products in the past 30 days. The prevalence of tobacco use was higher among boys （16.6%） than girls （3.5%）， and among 11th grade students （21.9%） compared to 8th grade students （7.3%）， with statistically significant differences （χ2=131.99 and 4.24， both P<0.05）. The current tobacco use rate increased with the increase in monthly allowance （χ2=46.96， P<0.05）. The structural equation model of smoking behavior showed that mental health had a positive and direct impact on smoking behavior， and an indirect impact on smoking behavior through living environment satisfaction. Living environment satisfaction had a negative and direct impact on smoking behavior with the mediating effect accounting for 19.2% of the total effect. The non-standardized mediating effect of mental health on smoking behavior through life environment satisfaction and its 95%CI were 0.007 （0.002‒0.012）.ConclusionAdolescent smoking behavior is a complex psychosocial behavior， and the situation of adolescent tobacco use in rural areas in Sichuan is severe. There is a correlation between adolescent tobacco use behavior and psychosocial influencing factors. Psychosocial influencing factors can predict adolescents’ tobacco use behavior. Attention should be paid to the important role of psychosocial influencing factors when intervening in rural adolescents’ smoking behavior.

Keywords

• rural adolescent
• tobacco use
• life satisfaction
• mental health
• structural equation model （sem）