Smoking status and the related factors of high school students

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although the rate of smoking in adults is decreasing, its rate in adolescents keeps increasing gradually. Especially, smoking in adolescents is a serious problem that may be deeply related to drug abuse and is the main cause of a number of diseases. Anti-smoking program is essential to prevent this matter. Therefore, analysis of smoking status and its related factors in adolescents in a region where such a program was performed may be useful. METHODS: Questionnaire-survey was performed on 1,516 students of six high schools in a city who wished to participate in the anti-smoking program and analyzed the results concerning smoking status and the related factors on 1,380 students which consisted of 862(62.5%) males and 518(37.5%) females who completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: Smoking prevalences were 40.1% in males and 17.6% in females. Height, weight, educational level of parents and occupation of father were assessed. In the case of male students, the taller they were the more they smoked. In the case of female students, the higher their mother's educational level the more they smoked. Siblings' and close friends' smoking status had influence on smoking in both males and females. Drinking status affected smoking status in both males and females. The total mean of knowledge and attitude score was 1.39 and 1.32, respectively. There was a significant difference in men's knowledge and attitude score and in women's attitude score categorized by smoking status. The men's knowledge and attitude scores were significantly higher than women's. In the results of regression, the knowledge score had a negative coefficient and the attitude score had a positive coefficient as the dependent variable was smoking status in males, and the same results were shown in females. The attitude score, drinking status and close friends' smoking status were factors that influenced smoking in males and the knowledge score, the attitude score, drinking status, close friends' smoking and siblings' smoking in females. CONCLUSION: If we apply these results in school-based anti-smoking program, it will be an effective program for high school students.