PUŠAČKE NAVIKE ZAGREBAČKIH SREDNJOŠKOLACA

The investigation has been conducted on a representative sample of Zagreb's secondary schools in their first c1asses (N=958), their average age being 15.6 years. In 1995 a poll took place which explored the extent of people's smoking habits, their attitudes against smoking, as well as the possible influence of the way they spend their free time on the acceptance of tobacco smoking. Results pointed out that in the last month of school there was 24.5% of those who smoked one or more cigarettes each day. Their parents are smokers in about 60% of the cases (fathers 63%, mothers 52%), but smoking behaviour within the family is not statistically significantly bound with the smoking behaviour of youths. Students who spend less time studying, those who choose the kind of school that does not indicate their orientation towards an educational career, and especially.these who skip CIasses, smoke quite often, more in quantity and begin their bad habit earlier.