[Study on psychosocial factors in the motivation of smoking]

In a survey on the prevalence and motivation of smoking among 1,455 male officers and soldiers in the army, navy and air force in Shanghai area in June, 1986, it was found that 330 subjects in 638 current smokers and 57 ex-smokers (47.5%) started smoking on account of needs of social inter course. The proportion of smokers beginning to smoke before 19 years of age was much greater than that after 20 years for reasons of imitation (P less than 0.001), and the latter was greater than the former for reasons of stimulation (0.05 greater than P greater than 0.01). Smokers who started to smoke before 19 years of age became tobacco addicted more easily than those after 20 years (P less than 0.001), and the former were more easily entice to smoke for passing time, tranquil effect, and imitation. The median age of initiating smoking was 20.6 years of age for 638 smokers, and 84.2% of them started to smoke between 15 and 24 years of age.