A Psychosocial Investigation of Smoking Traits in High School Pupils

Five hundred fifteen high school pupils (in the age group 14–18 years) in Holon were surveyed about their experience with smoking, as well as their attitude toward cigarettes and their potential damage. Of these pupils, 18.79% had reported smoking at the time of the study, and 28.57% had smoked in the past and stopped. The prevalence of smoking is maximal in the age group 15–16 years (7.77%). The prevalence of smoking among boys is higher than that among girls (63.25% vs 36.75%) (p < 0.01). The boys began to smoke earlier than the girls (p < 0.001). There was no correlation found between smoking habits and the ethnic origin or familial socioeconomic level (according to parental occupation and family income). The pupils’ source of knowledge about cigarettes and smoking came from TV (29.6%), newspapers (21.7%), parents (13.9%), friends (9.6%), radio (8.7%), books (8%), physicians and nurses (7.5%). Our recommendations are that the health education and preventive immunization of these youth against cigarettes should begin as early as in kindergarten (from 4 years of age and up) and continue through all the subsequent school years.