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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Mark PearceORCiD, Dr Kay Mann
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Background: In this study, we used data from Australia's Northern Territory to assess differences in self-reported smoking prevalence between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. We also used urinary cotinine data to assess the validity of using self-reported smoking data in these populations.Methods: The Aboriginal Birth Cohort (ABC) is a prospective study of 686 Aboriginal babies born in Darwin 1987-90. The Top End Cohort (TEC) is a study of non-Indigenous adolescents, all born in Darwin 1987-91. In both studies, participants aged between 16 and 21 years, were asked whether they smoked. Urinary cotinine measurements were made from samples taken at the same visits.Results: Self-reported smoking prevalence was 68% in the ABC and 14% in the TEC. Among the self-reported non-smokers, the median cotinine levels were higher in the ABC (33 ng/ml) than in the TEC (5 ng/ml), with greater percentages of reported non-smokers in the under 50 ng/ml group in the TEC than in the ABCConclusions: Prevalence of smoking was much higher in the ABC than in the TEC. The higher cotinine levels in ABC non-smokers may reflect an underestimated prevalence, but is also likely to reflect higher levels of passive smoking. A broader approach encompassing social, cultural and language factors with increased attention to smoking socialisation factors is required.
Author(s): Pearce MS, Mann KD, Singh G, Davison B, Sayers SM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMC Public Health
Year: 2014
Volume: 14
Print publication date: 21/08/2014
Online publication date: 21/08/2014
Acceptance date: 05/08/2014
Date deposited: 22/10/2014
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2458
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-861
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-861
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