Social Capital, Perceived Economic Affluence, and Smoking During Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACTBackground: Smoking is among the health risk behaviors taken up by many adolescents with lifelong consequences and associations with multiple health risk behaviors. Smoking and smoking initiation in adolescence involves an interaction between micro-, meso-, and macro systems, including neighborhoods and the greater community. Objectives: To examine the associations of individual social and economic capital with self-reported health, life satisfaction, and smoking behavior in adolescents. Methods: Using a multistage random sampling of junior high school students (16–18 years old) in Crete, Greece, 703 adolescents (90.2% 16 years old; 55.6% girls, participation rate 84.2%) completed an anonymous questionnaire based on HBSC study and the Youth Social Capital Scale (YSCS) during April–June 2008. Multiple logistic regression models were performed adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Adolescents with high participation in their neighborhoods and communities (higher structural social capital) dis...