Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1998 Jan;5(1):51-7.

Cigarette smoking behavior among South african Indian high school students

M Bayat  1 , B J Pillay, M H Cassimjee
Affiliations

Cigarette smoking behavior among South african Indian high school students

M Bayat et al. J Family Community Med. 1998 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of cigarette smoking behavior (CSB) in a sample of Indian matriculation students.

Methodology: All (N=325) Indian matriculation students, at high schools, in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, were included in the study. A questionnaire was administered to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice of CSB.

Results and conclusion: The study showed a prevalence of 16.9%. Most smokers (98.2%) had commenced the practice after the age of 10 years. The most common reason given for CSB was experimentation (83.6%). Main influence was family members followed by teachers and advertisements. The association between smoking and lung cancer was well-known by smokers (90.7%). There was very little awareness of anti-smoking programmes or organizations. Alarmingly, there was little formal health education on the dangers of smoking in schools. The implications of these results are discussed and recommendations on decreasing CSB are made.

Keywords: Smoking Behavior; attitudes; experimentation and South Africa; knowledge; students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Martin G, Steyn K, Yach D. Beliefs about smoking and health and attitudes towards tobacco control measures. S Afr Med J. 1992;82:241–5. - PubMed
    1. Mc Intyer DE, Taylor SP. Economic aspects of smoking in South Africa. S Afr Med J. 1989;75:432–5. - PubMed
    1. Fowler G, Mindell J. RCGP connection. UK: 1992. Mar, GP's and tobacco control.
    1. Yach D. The impact of smoking in developing countries with special reference to Africa. Int J Health Services. 1986;16:274–92. - PubMed
    1. Sewdarsen M, Vythilingum S, Jialal I, Mooddley T, Mitha AS. Risk factors in young Indian males with myocardial infarction. S Afr Med J. 1987;71:261–2. - PubMed