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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• tobacco
• cigarette
• Indigenous
• youth
• family
• peer
• school climate
• school connectedness
• extracurricular activities
• socio-economic status