Biomedical subjects

E H van Roosmalen

Publications and source records attributed to E H van Roosmalen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Adolescent smoking intentions: gender differences in peer context.

Despite widespread interest in adolescent smoking behavior, little research has been directed to the social dynamics of adolescent smoking. In this paper, smoking intentions and peer group influences among a sample of 1,689 Grade 8 students from southern Ontario were analyzed to ascertain possible gender-specific correlates in adolescent smoking intentions. The peer environment was found to be a crucial factor in adolescent smoking behavior. Particularly striking for adolescent girls was the firmness of their expressed intentions to continue to smoke quite early in their smoking lives.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Peer group influence as a factor in smoking behavior of adolescents.

Adolescents, as the fastest growing group of smokers, have been a focus and concern of health educators and researchers. Adolescent smoking is of particular interest because initiation and early habits are known to have important implications for lifetime smoking or cessation. Despite the well-known centrality of the peer group in adolescent behavior, smoking cessation programs have been largely directed toward individuals rather than groups, with emphasis on encouraging the individual to say "no." In this paper, smoking behavior and peer group patterns among a sample of 1,689 Grade 8 students from southern Ontario were analyzed to ascertain possible patterns of indirect influence by friends and acquaintances. Gender differences also were assessed. It was found that peer groups are crucially important in the initiation of smoking among young adolescents, particularly females. The patterns of indirect peer influence on girls is such that girls are less likely to stop smoking once they have begun than are boys.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Three top Canadian and personal health concerns of a random sample of Nova Scotian women.

We sought to understand the subjective reports of women's health concerns. A randomly dialled telephone survey was conducted resulting in a sample of 458 women (Caucasian/European = 302, Native/Aboriginal = 81, Black = 75), aged 18-81. Women were asked in an open-ended format to list their three top health concerns for themselves and then for Canadian women. Responses were recorded verbatim and categorized into one of nine mutually exclusive health concern categories. The three main health concerns for Canadian women were: Psychosocial Issues, Other Specific Illnesses, and Cancer. The three most important personal health concerns were Psychosocial Issues, Other Specific Illnesses, and Heart and Related Diseases. Few ethnic differences were noted. Results suggest that it is important to recognize and attempt to alleviate health concerns about stress and depression, which are not usually considered as being major health problems by health care professionals.

Adult↗