Purpose: To estimate the smoking prevalence among junior and senior high school students in Japan.
Methods: We conducted a nationwide survey of adolescent smoking habits in 1990. Sample schools were selected by single random sampling. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were sent to sample schools for all students to fill out. Seventy junior high schools and 33 senior high schools responded. A total of 57,189 students responded.
Results: The current smoking rate (the proportion of students who had smoked at least once during the previous month) was much higher among boys than girls. The current smoking rate among seventh graders was 4.0% for boys and 1.5% for girls, and it increased with age to reach 25.5% for boys and 4.9% for girls in the twelfth grade. The percentage of regular smokers in the seventh grade was less than 1% for both sexes, but it increased to 20.3% for boys and 2.2% for girls in twelfth grade. Among current smokers, the proportion of boys smoking 1-9 cigarettes per day decreased, and the proportion of boys smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day increased, as age increased. Most current smokers buy their cigarettes from cigarette vending machines or tobacconist shops.
Conclusions: Since this survey reveals that smoking prevalence among students is not low even in junior high school, health education about smoking must start earlier and carry a greater emphasis within the curriculum. These results also indicate the importance of urging families to have greater concern for the smoking behavior of their children, of banning cigarette vending machines, and of preventing illegal sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 20 years.