Abstract

Throughout the world, the prevalence of adult smoking varies between 15-60%, and 80.0% of adults begin to smoke before the age of 18 years. The key factor in achieving a smoke-free community is to prevent smoking initiation. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of smoking and the affecting factors in primary school students (grades 6, 7 and 8) in Tekkeköy (a county town of Samsun), where the majority of the population is involved with tobacco farming. In April 2005, 1,666 primary school students were given a questionnaire about smoking, affecting factors and knowledge level about smoking. The t test in independent groups, chi- square test and logistic regression analysis were used to compare the data. Of the students, 48.3 %were female and 51.7 % were male. The mean age of the study group was 13.2± 1.0 years. The prevalence of smoking was found to be 11.8 % and the mean age of smoking initiation was 9.5±3.0 years. It was observed that the prevalence of smoking increased with age (p<0.001) and the prevalence was higher in boys than girls (17.7% vs. 5.7%, p<0.0001). The mothers, close friends and other smokers in the home of smokers were smoking more than those of the non-smokers (p<0.01, p<0.0001, p<0.05). The proportion of non-smoker students who stated that smoking was hazardous to health was higher than that of smoking students (p<0.05). It was also determined according to logistic regression analysis that factors such as sex (Male: OR=2.77, GA=1.86-4.12), age group (age ≥14 years: OR=2.21, GA=1.37-3.55), close friends (OR=3.24, GA=2.07- 5.08) and maternal smoking (OR=1.84, GA=1.20- 2.83) were significantly associated with increased smoking prevalence. In conclusion, it was determined that the roles of family members and close friends were very important in students’ smoking habits. It is considered that, while planning anti-smoking education for students at risk, the target group should include family members and others sharing the same social environment as the students.