CIGARETTE-SMOKING HABITS AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN

Study objective: Cigarette smoking is a major preventable cause of mor bidity and mortality worldwide, Most adult smokers start smoking regul arly some time before 18 years of age. The aim of this study was to de termine the age at which children begin cigarette smoking, to study ti le environmental factors that influence children to smoke, and to unde rstand the reasons why children smoke, The results of this study may h elp lead to the development of more effective smoking prevention progr ams. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional survey of all students in grades 6 to 11 (ages: 11 to 17 years) in two high schools in the Je rusalem area, using an anonymous self-completion questionnaire, The st udents were asked questions regarding the age at which they began smok ing, initiation, their smoking habits, their reasons for smoking, and their views on children who smoke, In addition, they were asked about the smoking status of their parents, siblings, and friends. Finally th ey were asked about the health hazards of smoking. Results: Of the 847 students who answered the questionnaire, 35% stated that they had smo ked at least once and 14% stated that they were currently smoking. The percentage of students who were currently smoking increased gradually with age to 36%. There was a sharp increase in experimental smoking a fter seventh grade (ages 12 to 13 years). Having a friend who smoked s ubstantially increased the likelihood of smoking, whereas parental smo king or having a sibling who smoked did not increase the likelihood of smoking. The most common reason for starting to smoke was ''to try so mething new'' (55%). There was a significant difference between the vi ews of students with different smoking statuses regarding children who smoke: nonsmoking children associated more negative characteristics t o smoking, All of the children studied were well aware of the health h azards of cigarette smoking. Conclusions: Smoking is highly prevalent among schoolchildren in Jerusalem, The increase in the rate of smoking at the age of 12 years indicates that smoking prevention programs nee d to be started at an earlier age. Peer pressure is a very strong stim ulus for smoking in children. Since children are aware of the health h azards of smoking, prevention policy should be aimed more at associati ng smoking with negative images and addressing peer pressure.