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Objective: To study the prevalence os smoking in school children in Sevilla and the influence of personal and social environment on smoking patterns., Methods: This study was part of a preventative anti-smoking campaign in schools. Students filled in anonymous questionnaires based on the World Health Organization survey instrument for population attitudes and habits., Results: We surveyed 3385 students between 10 and 19 years of age at 47 schools in Seville and 28 villages in the surrounding province. Current smoking was reported by 19.1% of the students; slightly more girls (19.8%) than boys (18.3%) smoked. Smoking was related to having an older brother or sister who smoked and particularly to having friends who smoked (OR 20.5). The adolescents reported that parents were less permissive than the rest of their environment. Smokers associated tobacco with values such as independence and freedom; they believed that smoking might have an impact on health, although their conviction was less strong than that of non-smokers, regular smokers had high expectations of continuing., Conclusions: We found a high proportion of smokers among students of both sexes. Starting and continuing to smoke during adolescence is considerably influenced by the social environment of peers and is possibly affected by messages of independence and freedom transmitted through tobacco industry advertising.

Objectives: To study the prevalence and intensity of smoking among school-age children in Seville by sex, age and type of population, as well as to examine expectations of future smoking., Methods: This study was part of a school anti-smoking campaign. The students completed an anonymous questionnaire based on the one formulated by the World Health Organization on population attitudes and habits., Results: Of 895 school-age subjects surveyed, 879 questionnaires were valid (428 boys and 451 girls). Ages ranged from 12 to 19 years (mean for boys: 15.4 +/- 1.6 years; for girls 14.6 +/- 1.5 years; p < 0.01). As many as 300 girls (67%) and 278 boys (65%) reported having tried a cigarette at some time. Active smoking was reported by 35% (16% occasionally and 19% daily) with no significant differences between boys and girls. The number of smokers increased with age, coming to represent more than half of subjects over 16 years of age, the proportion being even higher for girls aged 14 years and older. Smoking became well established at age 14 or older for most subjects. More rural than urban or large town dwellers reported smoking. The mean number of cigarettes smoked was higher for boys (8.7 +/- 7.4) than for girls (6.4 +/- 6.2) (p < 0.01). We found differences in boys' and girls' future expectations of smoking, as well as differences between habitual and occasional smokers, the latter group being less certain about whether to continue smoking in the future or not.