Evaluation of an antismoking educational programme among adolescents in Italy.

In most countries the school has been the common setting for antismoking education. Programmes have usually been directed towards the younger age groups and they have met with various degrees of success. In general, such programmes have been shown to be less effective than one might expect, and much remains to be learned about the types of educational experiences that are effective in preventing adolescents from becoming habitual smokers. In Italy, the problem of educating young people about smoking is particularly pressing today.