Cigarette smoking and perceived health in school dropouts: a comparison of Mexican American and non-Hispanic white adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relations between educational attainment and health (cigarette smoking and perceived health) in Hispanic adolescents. METHOD Participants included 3,360 Mexican American and non-Hispanic white adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 21 years. The sample included school dropouts, academically at-risk students, and control students. RESULTS School dropouts were 6.46 times more likely and academically at-risk students were 2.80 times more likely to smoke heavily than were control students. In addition, school dropouts reported poorer health than did their peers. Results suggest that the relation between educational attainment and perceived health is mediated by cigarette smoking. CONCLUSIONS Increased awareness of educational attainment as a significant risk factor for smoking in Hispanic adolescents will enable smoking cessation services to be targeted more effectively.