Smoking Prevalence and Associated Attitudes among High School Students in Turkey

Abstract

This is a descriptive study to determine the smoking prevalence and attitudes with smoking among high schoolstudents in Sivas, Turkey. This study was carried out in 6 high schools located in Sivas, Turkey. The samplewas constituted by 1050 students. The data of the study was obtained by a questionnaire which is developed byresearchers. The x2 test was used in the statistical analyses. In this study, the rate of students who did not smokeor stopped smoking was found to be 79.6%, while the rate of occasionaly or daily smokers was 20.4%. Studentswith male gender, those whose fathers and mothers had a low educational level, and a smoking mother, father orsibling, had a higher frequency of smoking (p<0.05). Students were found to have opposite attitudes to cigarettein general and rates of agreed to some attitude expressions were found to be higher in non-smoking students.The results demonstrated that the smoking prevalence among high school students was high and students witha smoking family member in particular, those with parents having low educational levels and of male gendershould be regarded as a risk group for smoking.