Smoking Behavior and its Related Factors in Male Students of One Senior High School in Taegu

BACKGROUND: The increase of smoking prevalence in adolescents Is serious problem because of physical and psychological influences furthermore, fixation of smoking habit. This study is aimed at providing applicable basic information to setting up the education programs and strategies to prevent smoking among high school students by analysing smoking behavior and its related factors. METHODS: 835 students from one senior high school in Taegu completed a self administerd questionnaire during school hours in May, 1996. 813 questionnaires with adequate responses were analyzed using SPSS/PC program. All students were asked class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, number of their three best friends who smoke, smoking status of their fathers, religion, allowance, alcoholic drinks, addicting drug use, Zung's self-rating depression scale(SDS) and Zung's self-rating anxiety scale(SAS), Smokers were asked amount of smoking, motives for smoking, when they started smoking, Fagerstrom score. RESULTS: Of the 813 students in the sample 135(16.6%) were current smokers. About the amount of smoking, 59.3% smoked less than 5 cigarettes/day. About the motives of smoking, 34.8% started smoking through the solicitation by friends or for making friends. About when they started smoking, 52.6% started smoking before entrance into senior high school. The related factor with smoking Included class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, numbers of three best friends who smoke, allowance, alcoholic drinking, addicting drug use, SDS. Predictor of smoking were number of three best friends who smoke, number of alcoholic drinking, and allowance. The related factors of nicotine dependency were amount of smoking, allowance, when they started smoking. Predictor of nicotine dependency were amount of smoking, number of three best friends who smoke. CONCLUSIONS: The related factors with smoking included class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, number of three best friends who smoke, allowance, alcoholic drinking, addicting drug use, and SDS. Predictors of smoking were number of three best friends who smoke, number of alcoholic drinking, and allowance.

Study on Child Mortality among Korean Children

To estimate the child and infant mortality rates among Korean children, a mortality survey was carried out in the province of Kyongsangnam,buk-do. The study population are the beneficiaries of Korea Medical Insurance Coorporation (KMIC), Kyongsangnam,buk-do area, among which the 3,867 and 1767 deaths occurred from January, 1989 to December, 1990 in Kyongsangnam-do area and from January, 1991 to December, 1991 in Kyongsangbuk-do area respectively. We reviewed the data to confirm the causes of death. These were based on the death certificates and medical utilization records before dying which were available through the computerized databases on medical care utility of KMIC. The survey conducted along three steps. At first, the death certificates were examined, as a second step, medical utilization records were reviewed, and finally direct contacts to the family members of the deceased were done. As a result, 115 deaths were found under 20 years of age. Using them, age specific mortalities and causes of death were estimated. Mortality rate in this area was estimated 129 per 100,000 person-years during 1 month to 11 months of age, 67 during 1 year to 4 years of age, 23 during 5 years to 9 years of age, 10 during 10 years to 14 years of age, and 29 during 15 years to 19 years of age, respectively. And the frequent causes of death were congenital anomalies, central nervous system (CNS) diseases, certain condition originating from perinatal period during 1 months of age; accidents, congenital anomalies, malignancies, CNS diseases, and pneumonia or bronchiolitis during 1 to 4 years of age; accidents, malignancies, CNS diseases, and congenital anomalies during 5 to 14 years of age; and accidents, suicide, malignancies, and CNS diseases during 15 to 19 years of age.