[An investigation on smoking situation among middle school students in Japan and in Jiangxi, China].

The past smoking rate among middle school students in Jiangxi was 30.5%, which was higher than that in Japan (25.4%). However, the present smoking rate and the frequent smoking rate among middle school students in Jiangxi are 5.8% and 1.1%, respectively, which are far lower than those in Japan (8.7% and 5.3%). The past smoking rate among boy students at each academic year in Jiangxi was higher than that in Japan, but the statistical indices of the present smoking rate and of the frequent smoking rate among boy students and among girl students at each academic year are lower than those in Japan. In Japan, the smoking rate among middle school students in cities was higher than that in the countryside, but vice versa in Jiangxi. The average number of cigarettes consumed per day in Japan was higher than that in Jiangxi. This investigation indicates that the smoking rate among middle school students was much influenced by their friends and relatives, health education in schools, self-feelings about school life and attitude towards smoking, etc.