ROLE OF RACE IN INFLUENCING SMOKERS' ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR: AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND WHITE ADOLESCENTS

Cigarette smoking, a priority public policy issue, calls for intensive research to understand the phenomena that underlies the increasing level of smoking among adolescents. A much ignored variable in this area of research - race - is actively being considered in health literature. This paper explores the affect of race on smoking, in addition, to the role of market variables viz. cigarette purchases by underage smokers using structural equation modeling. A direct affect of race on smoking is observed, although a weak indirect effect is reported. African-American and white adolescents respond differently to difficulty in cigarette purchase. Further research to examine the affect of race in greater detail is warranted. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]