OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence os smoking in school children in Sevilla and the influence of personal and social environment on smoking patterns. METHODS: This study was part of a preventative anti-smoking campaign in schools. Students filled in anonymous questionnaires based on the World Health Organization survey instrument for population attitudes and habits. RESULTS: We surveyed 3385 students between 10 and 19 years of age at 47 schools in Seville and 28 villages in the surrounding province. Current smoking was reported by 19.1% of the students; slightly more girls (19.8%) than boys (18.3%) smoked. Smoking was related to having an older brother or sister who smoked and particularly to having friends who smoked (OR 20.5). The adolescents reported that parents were less permissive than the rest of their environment. Smokers associated tobacco with values such as independence and freedom; they believed that smoking might have an impact on health, although their conviction was less strong than that of non-smokers, regular smokers had high expectations of continuing. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high proportion of smokers among students of both sexes. Starting and continuing to smoke during adolescence is considerably influenced by the social environment of peers and is possibly affected by messages of independence and freedom transmitted through tobacco industry advertising.
OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence os smoking in school children in Sevilla and the influence of personal and social environment on smoking patterns. METHODS: This study was part of a preventative anti-smoking campaign in schools. Students filled in anonymous questionnaires based on the World Health Organization survey instrument for population attitudes and habits. RESULTS: We surveyed 3385 students between 10 and 19 years of age at 47 schools in Seville and 28 villages in the surrounding province. Current smoking was reported by 19.1% of the students; slightly more girls (19.8%) than boys (18.3%) smoked. Smoking was related to having an older brother or sister who smoked and particularly to having friends who smoked (OR 20.5). The adolescents reported that parents were less permissive than the rest of their environment. Smokers associated tobacco with values such as independence and freedom; they believed that smoking might have an impact on health, although their conviction was less strong than that of non-smokers, regular smokers had high expectations of continuing. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high proportion of smokers among students of both sexes. Starting and continuing to smoke during adolescence is considerably influenced by the social environment of peers and is possibly affected by messages of independence and freedom transmitted through tobacco industry advertising.