Correlates of Smoking During an Economic Recession Among Parents of Children with Asthma

Objective. We describe the correlates of smoking among parents who have a child with asthma and examine whether the correlates changed from 2008 to 2010, when the United States experienced a severe recession and a sharp increase in unemployment, a stressor that could influence smoking behavior. Methods. Data are from the 2008 and 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults age 18 and older. Separate logistic regressions estimated the association between unemployment and smoking in 2008 and 2010, adjusting for sociodemographic and other characteristics of parents of a child with asthma. Results. Being unemployed was a significant predictor of smoking in 2010 (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.24–2.61), but was not a significant predictor in 2008 (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.82–1.95). One central component of well-being, as measured by being dissatisfied with one’s life, was significantly associated with parental smoking in 2010 (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.00–4.27), b...