Tobacco use more prevalent among African-American adolescents living in public housing communities

MU researcher says early interventions needed to curb youths' tobacco use

2012-07-11

(Press-News.org) COLUMBIA, Mo. – Today, nearly 4,000 adolescents in the United States will smoke their first cigarette, and about a fourth of those youth will become daily smokers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports. A recent study by a University of Missouri researcher found that African-American youths who live in public housing communities are 2.3 times more likely to use tobacco than other African-American youths.

"Compared to their same-aged peers, youth living in public housing were more likely to use tobacco and have positive attitudes about using tobacco," said Mansoo Yu, an assistant professor of social work and public health. "As previous research suggests, early use of tobacco increases individuals' chances of using more serious drugs later. In addition, early drug use is related to other serious problems, such as delinquent behaviors and family and social problems."

Yu and his colleagues surveyed 518 urban African-American youths ranging from ages 11 to 20 who resided in public housing communities in three large U.S. cities. The survey measured adolescents' attitudes toward tobacco use, depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors.

Youths living in public housing might be more likely to be fearful, live around crime problems, have poorer social relationships and have higher levels of psychological strain. These factors could contribute to the increased rates of tobacco use, Yu said.

"Smoking cessation programs for young African Americans living in public housing communities should focus on reversing their positive attitudes toward tobacco use," Yu said. "In addition, programs should help address the youths' depressive symptoms and keep them from getting involved in delinquent behaviors."

Additionally, Yu said tobacco prevention programs should target young children in public housing communities.

"Early interventions are critical for these individuals since the likelihood of being exposed to risky behaviors dramatically increases as the children age," Yu said. "In public housing communities, adolescents may have easier access to drugs and social activities where drugs are used."

INFORMATION:

Yu is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work, which is part of the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences, and also teaches in the Master of Public Health Program. The study, "Understanding tobacco use among urban African-American adolescents living in public housing communities: A test of problem behavior theory," was published in Addictive Behaviors. Yu's coauthors included researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Boston College and the University of South Carolina.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

U-M researchers identify new genetic cause for chronic kidney disease

2012-07-11

Ann Arbor, Mich. — A new single-gene cause of chronic kidney disease has been discovered that implicates a disease mechanism not previously believed to be related to the disease, according to new research from the University of Michigan. The research was published July 8 in the journal Nature Genetics. "In developed countries, the frequency of chronic kidney disease is continually increasing for unknown reasons. The disease is a major health burden," says Friedhelm Hildebrandt, M.D., the paper's senior author and professor of pediatrics and of human genetics at C.S. ...

First seabed sonar to measure marine energy effect on environment and wildlife

2012-07-11

UK scientists will measure the effect on the marine environment and wildlife of devices that harness tide and wave energy using sonar technology that has, for the first time, been successfully deployed on the seabed. Renewable energy from tidal currents can be generated using turbines in the tidal flow, and wave energy can be captured in a number of different ways. FLOWBEC (Flow and Benthic Ecology 4D) is a three-year, £1.2 million project that brings together a consortium of researchers to investigate the effects of such devices by monitoring environment and wildlife ...

Climate change may lead to fewer but more violent thunderstorms

2012-07-11

Researchers are working to identify exactly how a changing climate will impact specific elements of weather, such as clouds, rainfall, and lightning. A Tel Aviv University researcher has predicted that for every one degree Celsius of warming, there will be approximately a 10 percent increase in lightning activity. This could have negative consequences in the form of flash floods, wild fires, or damage to power lines and other infrastructure, says Prof. Colin Price, Head of the Department of Geophysics, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Tel Aviv University. In an ongoing ...

Researchers develop new possibilities for solar power

2012-07-11

Two Queen's researchers have contributed to a significant breakthrough in solar technology. Their research has led to a new solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system that generates both electricity and heat. Solar PVTs are normally made with crystal silicon cells which generate electricity, but little heat. Stephen Harrison and Joshua Pearce (Mechanical and Materials Engineering) designed and tested amorphous silicon cells in a PVT system. Their research shows increased heat generation because of higher operating temperatures and 10 per cent more solar electric output. "These ...

New biofuel process dramatically improves energy recovery

2012-07-11

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A new biofuel production process created by Michigan State University researchers produces energy more than 20 times higher than existing methods. The results, published in the current issue of Environmental Science and Technology, showcase a novel way to use microbes to produce biofuel and hydrogen, all while consuming agricultural wastes. Gemma Reguera, MSU microbiologist, has developed bioelectrochemical systems known as microbial electrolysis cells, or MECs, using bacteria to breakdown and ferment agricultural waste into ethanol. Reguera's ...

Toward achieving 1 million times increase in computing efficiency

2012-07-11

Modern-day computers are based on logic circuits using semiconductor transistors. To increase computing power, smaller transistors are required. Moore's Law states that the number of transistors that can fit on an integrated circuit should double every two years due to scaling. But as transistors reach atomic dimensions, achieving this feat is becoming increasingly difficult. Among the most significant challenges is heat dissipation from circuits created using today's standard semiconductor technology, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), which give off more ...

New CDC study on racial disparities in infant mortality published in Journal of Women's Health

2012-07-11

New Rochelle, NY, July 10, 2012—Improving access to health care for minority women of childbearing age could improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce racial differences in infant mortality, according to an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh. Infant mortality rates for non-Hispanic blacks and other minorities are much higher than for non-Hispanic whites. Better preconception heath care for women is ...

Waste to watts: Improving microbial fuel cells

2012-07-11

Some of the planet's tiniest inhabitants may help address two of society's biggest environmental challenges: how to deal with the vast quantities of organic waste produced and where to find clean, renewable energy. According to César Torres and Sudeep Popat, researchers at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, certain kinds of bacteria are adept at converting waste into useful energy. These microorganisms are presently being applied to the task, through an innovative technology known as a microbial fuel cell or MFC. As Torres explains, "the great advantage ...

Do people want to know if they are at risk for Alzheimer's disease?

2012-07-11

New Rochelle, NY, July 9, 2012—Genetic tests exist to identify risk for the rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to predict susceptibility to the more common, late-onset form of AD, but do people want to know, and how do they react? The answers can be found in the article published in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website. "This article addresses a major disease of tremendous impact on increasing numbers ...

UMass Amherst researchers unravel secrets of parasites' replication

2012-07-11

AMHERST, Mass. – A group of diseases that kill millions of people each year can't be touched by antibiotics, and some treatment is so harsh the patient can't survive it. They're caused by parasites, and for decades researchers have searched for a "magic bullet" to kill them without harming the patient. Now, a team of microbiologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has made an advance that could one day lead to a new weapon for fighting parasitic diseases such as African sleeping sickness, chagas disease and leishmaniasis. In the cover article of the current ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Harm reduction vending machines in New York State expand access to overdose treatment and drug test strips, UB studies confirm

University of Phoenix releases white paper on Credit for Prior Learning as a catalyst for internal mobility and retention

Canada losing track of salmon health as climate and industrial threats mount

Molecular sieve-confined Pt-FeOx catalysts achieve highly efficient reversible hydrogen cycle of methylcyclohexane-toluene

Pusan National University researchers develop light-activated tissue adhesive patch for rapid, watertight neurosurgical sealing

A view into the innermost workings of life: First scanning electron microscope with nanomanipulator inaugurated in hesse at Goethe University

Simple method can enable early detection and prevention of chronic kidney disease

[Press-News.org] Tobacco use more prevalent among African-American adolescents living in public housing communities
MU researcher says early interventions needed to curb youths' tobacco use