Teens in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to smoke, but it depends on whether they live in rural or urban areas.

A new study analyzing data from the Monitoring the Future Study highlights a distinct rural-urban gap in adolescent health. It reports that the link between neighborhood disadvantage and cigarette use appears only in rural areas. Teens in poor rural neighborhoods are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their peers in less disadvantaged rural areas.

“In rural areas, adults smoke at higher rates and quit at lower rates,” said Joy Jang, assistant research scientist at U-M’s Institute for Social Research. “That environment may lower the perceived risk of smoking for adolescents.”

Continue reading about how neighborhood conditions shape teen smoking