CIGARETTE-SMOKING AMONG VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SOME GERMAN LARGE TOWNS AND RURAL-AREAS - A PILOT-STUDY OF 27 OCCUPATIONS

An anonymous questionnaire covering 2072 vocational school students (6 9.2% female, 30.8% male) from 27 different professions was held in two large cities (Dusseldorf and Essen) and two small towns situated in r ural areas (Bitburg and Prum in the Eifel). it was found that the smok ing behavior differs remarkably depending on the becoming professions. Especially high numbers of smokers were found in the following groups : Female sales workers, male automotive- and industrial-mechanics and hairdressers of both sexes. In contrast low prevalence of smoking has been observed in women becoming bank clerks, clerks, and in women educ ated in the fields of business and taxes. The danger of high smoking f requency was discussed taking hairdressers as an example. Such a high- risk population demands interventional programs against smoking.