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Background: Social costs of smoking behaviour are remarkable. Although smoking is an individual choice, it is strongly influenced by a social contest where it is widespread., Objectives: To induce young non-smoking apprentices to continue as such and smokers to give up smoking., Methods: During 1999, a specific health education programme on smoking was carried out for a group of 1083 young apprentices, 531 females and 552 males, who came to the occupational health unit in Venice for a check on work fitness. This programme was part of a larger global programme concerning health hazards prevention where apprentices received various information about health and safety at work. Smoking habits were compared to a control group of 312 females and 458 males after a one year follow-up., Results: The females' chance of giving up smoking was three times higher than controls; while the chance of becoming a smoker was 70% lower. The males' chance of giving up smoking was double; while the chance of becoming a smoker was 60% lower. The health education programme decreased the trend of becoming a smoker in cases and increased non-smoking, especially in females. In females, there was also a significant prevalence who reduced cigarette consumption., Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of health education programmes on smoking directed to young people and stresses the role of public health units in the involvement of the users of such services in prevention programmes. An occupational health service has specific prevention objectives here, since promoting healthy attitudes affects motivation of individual behaviour. This is the reason why initiatives on a single specific prevention objective, like smoking, become significant in every context of people's lives. Such attitudes are a significant resource which people can use to protect themselves from hazards, with a resulting safe, aware and active behaviour as regards occupational risks.