The dynamics of tobacco smoking among male educated youths in Aleppo-Syria.

Understanding the dynamics of the smoking habit among youths at different stages of their development is crucial for the adoption of effective tobacco control policies. We looked at the smoking habits of 576 male university students and compared it with previously studied 555 male high school students in Aleppo-Syria, stratified into four groups with 2-year interval each. The prevalence of current smoking among 1st and 3rd year university students is 18.2% and 29.4% respectively, compared to 10.5% and 22.6% among 10th and 12th year high school students respectively. This study shows a late onset initiation of regular forms of smoking compared to patterns seen in developed countries.