Social influence and smoking habit in adolescent

Introduction: Adolescence presents a range of physical, mental, psychosexual and social changes. Teenagers influenced by endogenous or exogenous psychosocial factors, resort to using hard drugs or other addictive substances. The nicotine intake of cigarettes is the most common form of addictive substance among teenagers. Material and Method: The sample of the study consisted of high school students aged 13-18 years old, from two cities of central Greece (Lamia-Larisa). Data were collected during the period 01/10/2011-25/02/2012. The questionnaire includes questions on the demographic data of participants and their smoking habits as well as 20 questions relating to social influence, as expressed through and shaped by the social environment and the media. Results: From data analysis the frequency of smoking was 19.2%.The regular smoking of the sample was 10%. The friends of students who smoke are mostly girls (22%) with the percentage of boys standing at 2.6%. The Pearson correlation between the number of cigarettes and number of friends who smoke tested positive for both boys and girls. Conclusion: In conclusion the social influence of tobacco, emerging as one of the most decisive factors promoting smoking activity. The study results indicate that a careful design and a comprehensive smoking policy (and not simply informing young people) about the dangers of smoking are needed. © iMedPub