Discrimination may lead to smoking in boys

A new study at the Indiana University School of Medicine finds minority teen boys smoke more when they suffer discrimination, but that’s not the case for minority teen girls.

The study included 2,561 black and Hispanic teens, aged 12 to 19, living in low-income households in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. About 25 percent of the teens reported discrimination within the previous six months, and 12 percent said they’d smoked within the previous 30 days.
Increased smoking by boys who suffer higher levels of discrimination may be caused by increased stress from male-specific targeting by police and business, the study concluded.

Perceived discrimination had no effect on smoking rates among minority girls as boys and girls may experience discrimination differently.

The study appears online and in the March print issue of the American Journal of Public Health.