Factores psicosociales que intervienen en la adquisicion del comportamiento tabaquico

Smoking behavior by teenagers has been related to the different social prevailing tendencies spread by the mass media. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to promote prevention programs in order to acquire healthy habits by groups of people. Those programs should be preceeded by accurate studies concerning the target population. In this direction, a research study was carried out with 314 students, ages 12-13, from the school district of Cádiz (Spain). The study investigated the psychosocial variables involved in the acquisition of smoking behavior, motivation, attitudes, personality, family, and school performance. Results indicate the main factors involved in the acquisition of the smoking habit by teenagers. Some recommendations related to educational issues are presented.