Smoking rates among Aboriginal adolescents are the highest of any population group in
British Columbia, Canada. Recent studies suggest that substance use is affected by gender
and ethnic identity among youth. The purpose of our study was to explore the association of
gender and ethnic identity with smoking behaviour among First Nations adolescents. This
study is based on a convenience sample (i.e., an on-hand, readily available sample) of 124
youth (123 First Nations and 1 Métis) recruited at youth drop-in centres, health fairs, and
cultural activities. We obtained information on demographics, smoking history, Bem Sex
Role Inventory (BSRI), composite measure of gender and gender identification (GID), and
Moran’s Bicultural Ethnic Identity Questionnaire (Bicultural ID). We examined the associations
between gender role identification and cultural identification on current smoking
status among First Nations youth by using logistic regression analyses stratified by gender.
In stratified multivariate regression analysis among girls, current smoking was significantly
associated with lower scores on the aggressive masculinity index of the Gender ID scale
and the White/Canadian index of the Bicultural ID scale. Among boys, current smoking was
significantly associated with higher scores on the affective femininity index of the Gender
ID scale and lower scores on the White/Canadian index of the Bicultural ID scale.