Caracterización del hábito de fumar en adolescentes

Introduction: smoking or cigarette smoking is a disorder caused by a substance-dependence, nicotine. It is observed that during last years smoking habit has an early beginning, particularly in adolescence. Objective: to characterize the attitudes of adolescents regarding smoking to design an educational intervention where the population of this psychological age belonging to No-9 Doctor’s Office at “Pedro Borras Astorga” Polyclinic in Pinar del Rio city is included. Material and Method: qualitative methodology was used. The target group was comprised of 103 adolescents living in the health area at No-9 Doctor’s Office, “Pedro Borras Astorga” Polyclinic. The sample included 73 adolescents. The theoretical methods used were: historical-logic, analysis-synthesis and systemic-structural, applying also the empirical methods: ethnographic, survey and interviews as well. Results: out of the subjects interviewed, 38 belonged to male sex, which indicated a relevant indicator. The 79,6% of those surveyed, considered smoking as a bad habit. Another percentage associated smoking with elegance, and other expressed: smoking gives a resemblance of maturity for adolescents who smoke. Conclusion: adolescent population under study was characterized by a total understanding of the effects of smoking on health, highlighting ethical aspects and personality traits regarding social behavior as remarkable aspects.