The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the early first experience of smoking and drinking,and engaging in multiple risk behaviors among Japanese adolescents during their subsequent high school years.Data from the 2001 Japan Youth Risk Behavior Survey (JYRBS) -a nationwide survey involving 11,113 tenth- to twelfth-grade students (5,604 males and 5,509 females) - were analyzed.Primarily,multiple logistic regression analysis,which was adjusted for grade level and one-way ANOVA were used for statistical analyses.The main findings were as follows.
1) Among students who were lifetime smokers,12.8％ of the males and 7.5％ of the females had the first smoking experience during their primary school years.Similarly,among students who were lifetime drinkers,31.2％ of the males and 26.3％ of the females first consumed alcohol during their primary school years.
2) In students with early smoking or drinking experience,the frequency and quantity of smoking and alcohol consumption tended to increase in the subsequent high school years.
3) Moreover,these students tended to engage in other risk behaviors such as “skipping breakfast,” “thinner use,” “sexual intercourse,” “rarely or never wore seatbelts,” “physical fights,” and “seriously considered attempting suicide” as compared with other students.
4) These students were also prone to engaging in multiple risk behaviors in the subsequent high school years.
Therefore,a positive approach towards prevention of smoking and drinking during early adolescence is important for not only preventing increase of those frequency and quantity,but also preventing multiple risk behaviors in later adolescence.
