Smoking habits in 9 000 Danish schoolchildren

A stratified sample of 9 158 Danish schoolchildren from 39 schools and 118 children from a handball club team championship participated in a questionnaire survey of smoking habits. Compared with previous investigations, decrease in the percentage of children who had tried to smoke and in the children who actually smoked were observed. In most of the classes, smokers now constitute a numerical minority. In most of the older age-groups, preponderance of girl smokers is now present. Most of the smokers started to smoke out of curiosity or because their companions were smokers whereas only 5% started to smoke because their parents were smokers. Children in the capital became regular smokers earlier than children in rural areas. Only 8% of the children participating in a championship of handball teams were smokers whereas 31% of the remainder of the material in the same age-group were smokers. If more children could be encouraged to participate in sports, it is possible that attitudes which could reinforce smoking health education could be established.