ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of smoking among 13- to 18-year-old students, analyze smoking-related factors in this population, and design an intervention program to reduce smoking. POPULATION AND METHODS: A 6-month smoking prevention intervention was designed for students at a public secondary school in the Spanish province of Malaga. The objective of the intervention was to inform students of the gravity of smoking and its deleterious effects on health. The efficacy of the intervention was subsequently assessed. RESULTS: Of the 337 students who completed the questionnaire, 27% declared they were smokers. Smoking prevalence was significantly higher among girls (36.1%) than boys (18.1%) (P<.001) and progressively increased with age. Initiation occurred at 13 to 14 years of age. The most common reason for starting was to try something new (52.2% of students). The greatest risk factor in the family environment was having a smoking sibling. After the program, 78% of smokers admitted that the intervention had not affected their smoking but had made them more aware of its detrimental effects, and 66.8% planned to quit in the future. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows the high prevalence of smoking among adolescents, particularly among girls. It also shows that health education increases understanding of the problems related to smoking, causing changes of attitude with regard to whether they will smoke in the future.
