ABSTRACT
Despite the explicit health warnings, large numbers of students continue to take up tobacco. To achieve significant long-term reductions in tobacco use and smoking-related death, the nature and scope of tobacco use in youths should be examined, the social, psychological, and marketing motives that influence young people in their decision to use tobacco products explored, and strategies and programs to prevent young people from becoming users developed. This qualitative study was conducted to explore motives for cigarette smoking among high school students in Urmia with financial support of Pakan Association- a Nursing NGO- in 2005. Focus groups and questionnaires were used for data collection. 2360 students in four high schools in educational districts 1 and 2 at Urmia city were recruited at the first stage of sampling and their cigarette smoking patterns were determined. At the second stage, five focus groups, each with 6-10 participants, were formed at the schools by volunteer students. Sessions were taped and transcribed and the themes of discussions were elicited by content analysis approach. Findings showed that the main motives of students for cigarette smoking included anger relief, curiosity, sense of dignity, fear of isolation, peer pressure, imitation, sense of joy, obstinacy, opposition to parents, lack of compassion in family, early love, unwanted stimulation of parents, smoking of family members, fight with loneliness, and opposition to social authorities. The major complaint of students was stringency of parents and an important motive for smoking was opposition to parents. Thus, strengthening compassion in families can somehow control smoking in youths