Cigarette Smoking among Iranian Adolescents

Objective: Smoking is a worldwide health problem. Despite recent efforts to reduce the rate of smoking, adolescent smoking still remains a significant public health concern. Current study was conducted to determine the effects of socio-environmental and personal factors on the smoking among adolescents. Methods: In the first stage of a longitudinal study of smoking in adolescents, 1785 students in Tabriz city were randomly selected. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about demographic characteristics and self-esteem of the subjects and their attitude towards smoking. Information was also gathered about the smoking habits of the subjects, their families and friends. The association of different variables with smoking was evaluated by a logistic regression model and Chi square test using SPSS. Results: Mean age of the subjects was 16.3 ± 0.87 years. 77.4% of them reported that they never smoked. 18.2% had experimented the cigarette smoking at least once. But 4.4% said that they were regular smokers. Having a smoker family member (OR=1.40) or a smoker friend (OR=3.43) and a positive attitude toward smoking (OR=1.23) were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of smoking. Conclusion: An educational program aimed at changing the attitude towards smoking may be a successful primary prevention method.