Abstract

GONZALEZ HIDALGO, José Antonio; DIAZ PIEDRA, Jesús Alberto; ALFONSO DIAZ, Keny  and  AVALOS GONZALEZ, María Marlen. Smoking in adolescence. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.3, pp. 282-289. ISSN 0864-2125.

Introduction: Smoking is the most common addiction in the world, and it is considered one of the habits that cause more preventable diseases, as well as predisposing the individual to other diseases. For this reason it is vital that health staff assisting a teenager with addictions learn in depth the characteristics of this stage of life, as it is the most susceptible for developing drug addiction. Objective: To characterize adolescent smokers who belong to the clinic "Aleida Fernandez Chardiet", in 2010. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in a universe of 1,012 adolescents, 479 adolescent who smoke were the sample. Their ages range 12 and 20 years old. They all were from the health area "Aleida Fernandez Chardiet", and they were residing in this health area. Their parents gave consent for these teenagers to participate in this research. A survey was developed by the author and it was validated by experts. This survey allowed the collection of information. The data processing involved the determination of absolute and relative frequencies. Results: there was no sex distinction among smokers. Age of onset consumption was between 12 and 14 years for a total of 279 (58.2 %). Imitation of friends was the most common motivation in 400 (83.5 %), and public places were the largest places to practice this habit. Conclusions: cigarette is one of the most frequently used drugs by teenagers. This habit starts at a very early age, since this age group follows specific behavior patterns, with the interest of being accepted.

Keywords : smoking habit; adolescents; teenage; cigarette smoking.

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