Smoking habits of students in secondary health institutes in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

The smoking habits of all male and female students enrolled in Riyadh Secondary Health Institutes of the Ministry of Health in 1990 were studied using a self-administered questionnaire. The overall smoking prevalence was 22%. Cigarettes were virtually the only form of tobacco used. Males smoked about twice the females in terms of prevalence (24% and 14%) and intensity (14 and 6 cigarettes per day). The majority of smokers for both sexes started the habit at or before the age of 16 years and the majority of them thought seriously about quitting and attempted to quit but only 12% of them were so far successful. Psychologic pressures, smoking contacts and foreign travel were important factors in relapses. Religious, health and professional considerations were the most important motives for attempting to quit the habit among smokers and for not attempting the habit itself for the non smokers.