This study was conducted from Nov. 15 to Dec. 20, 1999, covering 3,214 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in 25 schools, one from each Ku in Seoul, in order to provide basic data for developing smoking prevention program. The results of the study were as follows :
1. Among the students under inquiry, 10.2% answered they had the experience of smoking, while 6.3% said they are current smokers.
2. With regard to smokers´ smoking behavior, about 90% of them smoke one or two cigarettes a day. A lot of them was their own or friends´ homes to smoke, but not at specific time. Many students who smoke say they was cigarettes stored and/or picked up at home. 28.9% of them have friends who know that they smoke and 27.7% of them have siblings are aware they are smokers, 24.2% of them said no one around them is aware of the fact they smoke.
3. Forth grade is the most frequent year students start smoking(23.5%). Most of them had their first smoking experience at their homes out of curiosity.
4. Profile of a typical smoker would; be male; from miscellaneous religions; have very few friends; have hard time to fit in at school; and he/she has a poor academic record.
5. Environmental profile of a smoker consists of; commercial area resident; single-parented; lacks attention from parents; has hard time at home; has someone who smokes within the family.
6. Regarding the experience of smoking prevention education, the rate of current smokers who have learned about smoking prevention was lower than that of who have not learned.
7. Among the non-smoking students, 81.3% of them said they would keep away from smoking and 1.6% of them said they would like to smoke in the future, while 17.1% were undecided. Among the students who smoke, 93.7% wish to quit smoking.
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