Background:

tobacco use is a risk factor that predisposes to various diseases. Adolescence is the stage where smokers mainly start, therefore preventive work is necessary from the early stages of life.

Objective:

to determine the characteristics of active smoking in adolescents.

Methods:

descriptive cross-sectional study with ninth-grade students from Frank País García Elementary School in Cienfuegos. The variables age, sex, clinical characteristics (given by intensity, frequency and signs of dependence), knowledge about smoking and attitudes towards it were analyzed.

Results:

the sample was made up of 180 students; 56.6% female and 43.3% male. 14-year-old non-smoking students predominated. The level of knowledge about smoking was inadequate for both groups. There was no significant relationship between sex, knowledge, and smoking; the majority showed an attitude of rejection of cigarettes. More than half of the smokers consumed almost every day of the month. The frequency was 6 to 10 cigarettes a day, a smaller group of students presented nicotinic dependence (30.8%).

Conclusions:

it was confirmed that tobacco consumption was present in some of the students in the sample and also nicotinic dependence, which is of great relevance due to the stage of life in which they are.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )