Knowledge about smoking and its harm among high school students

Abstract

Introduction: Harmful effects of tobacco for human health are widely known, nevertheless, the prevalence of smoking is still increasing among adolescents. Objectives: To evaluate the behavior as well as the knowledge of high school students in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: This work was developed with authorization of the Board of Education of the city Botucatu, in public secondary school. The students of the high school were invited to answer a questionnaire about smoking and its harms. Descriptive analysis of the data was done. Results: We obtained 292 (41.7%) valid questionnaires (age:15.9 ± 1.4years, 54.8% female). About smoking habits, 33.2% tried cigarettes at least once and 64.9% were female, 5% smoke more than 15 days/month, and 89.0% reported don't smoke. Most students (68.5%) do not have parents or relatives who smoke indoor. 91.1% know that cigarettes cause health problems and 81.8% said that nicotine is the substance responsible for addiction. Besides of that, 62.7% are not sure about the amount of toxic substances present in the cigarette. About the use of nicotine in young people, 7.9% believe that it acts more lenient, while 19.5% believe that it acts in a powerful way, making the addiction more difficult to overcome, 24.3% say the nicotine activity is the same as in adults, and 43.2% are unsure (5,1% did not answer). About the possibility of smoking, 79.5% said that they will not smoke in the next five years and 73.3% would refuse a cigarette if their best friend offered one. 51% affirmed that they received information about the harm of smoking from teachers. Conclusion: This study noticed that, despite of all media information, young people show little knowledge about smoking and its harms.