Gender differences regarding the alcohol-tobacco relationship among Romanian adolescents - a longitudinal study.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess cross-sectional and prospective relations between alcohol and tobacco use among Romanian adolescents, giving special attention to possible gender differences. Methods: The data were obtained from a two-wave 1-year longitudinal study carried out among 403 Romanian high school students aged 15–17 years (mean age 15.9; SD = 0.3). Questionnaires were used to assess smoking behaviour and alcohol use. Both behaviours were classified into two categories, that of adolescents who used the substance (at least once/month) and that of those who did not use the substance or used it less than monthly. Logistic regression was used to determine which substance was the best predictor of the subsequent use of the other substance. Results: Alcohol and cigarette use were found to be linked reciprocally and this interrelationship differed across genders. Among girls smoking predicted alcohol use better than the converse, while for the boys it was the other way around. Conclusion: It is important for future studies of adolescent substance use to systematically investigate the gender differences in the tobacco–alcohol relationship.