PURPOSE
This study is to investigate the smoking experience and its related factors among adolescence.
METHOD
The subject for this study consisted of 2711 students of middle, high school located in youngam-koon, chonnam. The data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire during the period from March. 1, 2001 to June.
20, 2001.
RESULT
The frequency of cigaret smoker was 8%. The frequency of smoker in the high school was higher than that of smokers at the middle school. The motivation of smoking was curiosity and solicitation by friends, and the level of smoking was on average less than 10 cigarettes a day. The 72.2% of smokers started during the middle school period.
Students who smoke had more positive attitude toward smoking than students who don't smoke. There were significant differences in there knowledge about the harmful effect of smoking between nonsmoker and smoker. Most smoking students thought that nonsmoking education is necessary for adolescents, even though they don't want to quit the smoking. The frequency of smoker was different between genders.
CONCLUSION
An understanding of the characteristics of smoking of adolescence may provide guidance for preventive interventions with adolescents.
