Despite declines in US smoking rates tobacco remains among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the US and is directly linked to chronic and mortal diseases including cancers and heart disease. With a focus on youth smoking behaviors, this paper considers contributory influences for two related, but distinct, measures of youth tobacco addiction - the frequency and quantity of cigarettes consumed per month. Using the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey a bivariate ordered probit model is estimated along with associated conditional probabilities controlling for both youth-specific factors and peer group influences. Results indicate strict controls on tobacco access, parental involvement, and school initiatives can significantly reduce the frequency and quantity of smoking by adolescents and decrease the probability of youth becoming heavier smokers.

尽管美国吸烟率有所下降，但烟草仍是美国可预防死亡的主要原因之一，而且与癌症和心脏病等慢性和致命疾病直接相关。以青少年吸烟行为为研究重点，本文考虑了两种相关但截然不同的青少年吸烟成瘾指标——每月吸烟的频率和数量——的影响。利用2011年全国青年烟草调查，对双变量有序probit模型进行了估计，并控制了青年特有因素和同龄人群体影响的相关条件概率。结果表明，严格控制吸烟机会、家长参与和学校措施可以显著减少青少年吸烟的频率和数量，并降低青少年成为重度吸烟者的可能性。