Table 3

Univariate associations between selected variables and smoking initiation and continuation among elementary schoolchildren in multiethnic, low-income, inner-city neighbourhoods, Montreal, Canada, 1993–1995

		Initiation^3-151 (n = 1439)				Continued smoking^3-152
		Initiation^3-151 (n = 1439)				Boys (n = 229)			Girls (n = 156)
		n^3-150	%			n^3-150	%		n^3-150	%
Age (years)
9	173	9.3		21	14.3		15	26.7
10	595	14.4		69	23.2		61	21.3
11	535	20.7		99	36.4		59	45.8
12	133	30.1		39	43.6		20	30.0
Gender
Male	683	20.8		229	31.4		ND	ND
Female	756	14.7		ND	ND		156	32.0
Grade
4	728	14.6		96	20.8		61	14.7
5	711	20.7		133	39.1		95	43.2
Family status
Two-parent	1071	16.8		168	35.7		100	32.0
Single-parent/other	368	19.8		61	19.7		56	32.1
Family origin
Canada	276	23.2		53	34.0		43	39.5
Europe	302	18.2		59	33.9		41	31.7
Central America/Caribbean	321	14.0		33	33.3		33	30.3
Other	511	16.6		79	27.8		36	27.8
% Lifetime in Canada
<100	447	17.2		72	31.9		38	28.9
100	856	17.9		141	32.6		105	36.2
Income sufficiency
Insufficient	260	18.8		37	29.7		28	39.3
Sufficient/high	159	16.3		23	34.8		24	25.0
Missing	1020	17.4		169	31.4		104	31.7
Mother’s education
Secondary or less	336	20.5		46	28.3		39	25.6
More than secondary	187	13.4		23	34.8		24	41.7
Missing	916	17.4		160	31.9		93	32.3
Father’s education
Secondary or less	230	22.6		33	39.4		16	25.0
More than secondary	159	11.3		18	27.8		19	21.0
Missing	1050	17.4		178	30.3		121	34.7
Father employed
Yes	1085	17.5		176	30.7		112	33.0
No	210	16.2		22	36.4		23	26.1
Mother employed
Yes	893	18.0		150	31.3		102	33.3
No	466	17.4		65	30.8		43	34.9
Baseline smoking status
Past smoker	ND	ND		168	25.6		114	25.4
Currently trying	ND	ND		31	51.6		25	48.0
Currently experimental/regular	ND	ND		30	43.3		17	52.9
Friends who smoke
None/don’t know	1148	13.9		121	24.0		75	21.3
Few/most/all	285	32.3		108	39.8		81	42.0
Mother who smokes
No	1096	15.8		151	30.5		91	33.0
Yes	319	24.1		75	33.3		61	31.1
Father who smokes
No	783	12.6		90	30.0		67	34.3
Yes	594	23.4		122	32.8		74	28.4
Brother(s) who smoke(s)
No	1365	17.3		195	28.7		129	31.0
Yes	69	24.6		32	43.7		26	34.6
Sister(s) who smoke(s)
No	1387	16.9		208	28.8		128	31.2
Yes	47	40.4		19	52.6		27	33.3
Mother encourages non-smoking
No	249	16.9		40	42.5		30	36.7
Yes	1169	17.7		186	28.5		120	32.5
Father encourages non-smoking
No	443	17.4		75	37.3		51	27.4
Yes	916	17.1		136	28.7		89	34.8
High fat/“junk food” consumption
Frequent	648	22.5		129	34.9		69	34.8
Occasional	260	14.6		37	16.2		35	34.3
Infrequent	362	14.4		34	35.3		35	28.6
Physical activity
Infrequent	535	14.0		57	28.1		66	31.8
Occasional	316	15.8		35	22.9		26	26.9
Frequent	588	21.8		137	35.0		64	34.4
Television programmes/day
⩾6	384	21.6		88	32.9		58	29.3
4–5	355	17.2		50	24.0		42	38.1
2–3	510	16.7		69	34.8		41	26.8
0–1	188	12.2		21	33.3		15	40.0
Overweight
No	860	18.9		144	33.3		82	21.9
Yes	548	16.1		76	27.6		69	43.5

↵3-150 Totals for each potential predictor differ because of missing data (ND=no data).
↵3-151 Includes never-smokers at baseline who moved to any level of smoking at one-year follow up.
↵3-152 Includes ever-smokers at baseline who reported current smoking at one-year follow up.