Most students want to give up smoking

Staff Reporter NEARLY 85 percent of students in the Balearic islands are planning to give up smoking. Of these, 89.3 percent are girls, according to a poll conducted for the Ministry for Health and Consumer Affairs among the pupils in the islands. Some 43.3 percent of students questioned were trying to give up the habit. Just under 48 percent of these were girls. A further 25.6 percent of secondary students confirmed that they smoked regularly as opposed to 28.6 percent of students in higher education and 40.7 percent in training colleges. When the students surveyed were asked why they smoked the replies were: I smoke because I like it, because it relaxes me, and I don't know. Among the reasons for giving up the habit were: health (51.4 percent), parents (11.9 percent), illness (8.1 percent) and not losing friends (6.4 percent). Some 28 percent of youngsters questioned said they had smoked at some time. Of these 22.7 percent were boys. With regard to age, 19 percent of 14-year-olds said that they had smoked at some time as opposed to 37.4 percent of 18-year-olds. When asked if they had smoked in the last 30 days, 23 percent confirmed that they had, 19.1 percent of which were boys. By age, 15.4 percent of 14-year-olds had smoked during the last 30 days while for 18-yearolds the percentage was 34.4. With regard to the quantity of tobacco consumed in the last 30 days, 56.2 percent of students had smoked between one and five cigarettes, 25.9 percent between six and ten, while some 17.9 percent said that they had smoked more than ten cigarettes in the last 30 days. The most popular way to consume tobacco is via the cigarette, although it contains around 4'000 toxic components. The most important is nicotine - a stimulant to the central nervous system which affects mental activity and promotes great dependency on the substance - tar and carbon monoxide. The Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs has produced a guide to giving up smoking as part of the campaign started on July 10 to publicise the Law of Drug Dependency and Other Addictions. In the guide, some of the reasons for giving up are: prevention of disease, improvement of health, feeling better with more energy, better ability to exercise, longer life, the high price of cigarettes, not being dependent on tobacco, regaining control of your life and respecting yourself. The guide also explains how to give up smoking and to keep off it forever.