BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that the extent of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among nonsmoking adolescents would be associated with their overall exposure to pro-tobacco social influences. METHODS: Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate methods from the 2011 Zambia Global Youth Tobacco Survey. RESULTS: The odds of SHS exposure increased with increasing exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements. About 39.5% of the gap in SHS exposure between nonsmokers with low versus high smoking susceptibility was attributable to differences in parental or peer smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained efforts are needed to denormalize tobacco use in order to reduce youth susceptibility to tobacco use.
BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that the extent of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among nonsmoking adolescents would be associated with their overall exposure to pro-tobacco social influences. METHODS: Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate methods from the 2011 Zambia Global Youth Tobacco Survey. RESULTS: The odds of SHS exposure increased with increasing exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements. About 39.5% of the gap in SHS exposure between nonsmokers with low versus high smoking susceptibility was attributable to differences in parental or peer smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained efforts are needed to denormalize tobacco use in order to reduce youth susceptibility to tobacco use.