Association between forced displacement and cigarette smoking among Colombian adolescents

ObjectiveTo establish the relationship between forced displacement and cigarette consumption among high-school students in Colombia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed with the participation of high-school students (10th and 11th grade in Colombia) under 18 years of age. The crude and adjusted relationship (odds ratios) between internal forced displacement and cigarette consumption during the last month was established. It was adjusted for covariates (age, gender, educational level, and income) and confounding variables (depression and family dysfunction).Results1,462 students between the ages of 13 and 17 participated (M = 15.98; SD = 0.83); 60.33% were women, 55.34% were in tenth grade, and 49.59% lived in low-income neighborhoods. A total of 113 (7.73%) students reported forced displacement, 103 (7.05%) reported depression, 1,112 (76.06%) scored for family dysfunction, and 149 (10.19%) students reported last-month cigarette consumption. After adjusting for covariates and confounding variables, forced internal displacement and cigarette smoking showed a statistically significant association (OR = 2.48, 95%CI 1.47-4.21).ConclusionsA statistically significant relationship between forced displacement and last-month cigarette smoking among Colombian adolescents is observed. It is necessary to investigate other social determinants related to adolescent cigarette smoking.