Smoking among junior high school students in Nagoya, Japan

A questionnaire survey was administered in January 1982 to 3090 junior high school boys and girls in Nagoya, Japan. The proportion of current regular smokers who smoke at least one cigarette per week was 3.6% for boys and 0.5% for girls. By the third grade this had increased to 6.9% and 1.2% respectively for each sex. Multivariate analysis of associated social psychological factors revealed that peer smoking was most strongly related to individual smoking status. Parental smoking, sibling smoking, educational aspiration, and attitudes toward anti-smoking legislation for minors were also significantly related to smoking status. The fostering of resistance to social pressure to smoke, family involvement, strict execution of the law, and increased experiences of success in academic, social and physical activities should be considered in smoking prevention programmes for this age group.