Gender modifies the relationship between social networks and smoking among adults in Seoul, South Korea
Open Access
- 9 March 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in International Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 55 (6), 609-617
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-010-0126-7
Abstract
To evaluate the interaction of gender with social network mechanisms and smoking behaviors in Seoul, South Korea, where smoking is common among men but not women. During 2002, telephone surveys were completed with 500 adults drawn from a probability sample in Seoul. Respondents described their smoking status, smoking rate (number of cigarettes smoked per day) and social networks by assessing who discouraged or encouraged smoking (smoking support) or smoked (smoking models). Multivariable regressions were used for analyses. Women encountered significantly less smoking support than men, 88% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 85–91) versus 70% (95% CI 66–73) net discouragement of smoking in their network. A difference in smoking support from 25 to 75% net discouragement was associated with a 27% (95% CI 9–49) lower probability of smoking among women, significantly stronger (z = 3.18, p < 0.01) than among men who had a 19% (95% CI 8–27) lower probability of smoking. A similar difference in smoking support was associated with male smokers smoking 6.38 (95% CI 0.86–12.30) fewer cigarettes per day, or 2,329 (95% CI 314–4,490) fewer cigarettes per year. The later association could not be observed among women due to the small proportion of female smokers. Smoking models were not significantly associated with any smoking behaviors across genders. Social network mechanisms were differentially associated with the high smoking prevalence among men and low prevalence among women and should be targeted by interventions tailored to these differences.Keywords
This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit:
- Smoking on Both Sides of the Pacific: Home Smoking Restrictions and Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Korean Adults and Children in Seoul and CaliforniaNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2010
- It's others, not the police: Smoking, reprimand, and fines among adults of Korean descent in California.Health Psychology, 2010
- The behavioral ecology of secondhand smoke exposure: A pathway to complete tobacco controlNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2009
- The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social NetworkNew England Journal of Medicine, 2008
- Marital status and smoking in Korea: The influence of gender and ageSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 2008
- The first puff: Forces in smoking initiation among Californians of Korean descentNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2007
- Health consequences of reduced daily cigarette consumptionTobacco Control, 2006
- Behavioral science at the crossroads in public health: Extending horizons, envisioning the futureSocial Science & Medicine, 2006
- Smoking cessation patterns and predictors among adult Californians of Korean descentNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2005
- An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion ProgramsHealth Education Quarterly, 1988