Recipient:                  Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (CEDES)
Implementing Agency:  Institute of Regional Science and Technology (ICTER)
Duration:                   January 2003 to February 2005

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Background

As a result of tobacco use, close to 250 million children and youth alive in the world today will eventually die and 70% of these deaths will be in developing countries.  A 1999 national survey in Argentina showed a lifetime smoking prevalence of 76% for men and 67% for women; 37% of the sample had smoked for the first time between 13 and 15 years of age, and by the age of 18, 72% had smoked a cigarette. The mean age for smoking initiation is now 16.7 years.  Preliminary studies in Argentina and Latin America suggest that youth smoking behaviour correlates with multiple personal, social, and relational factors. Such prevalence studies, however, cannot alone fully capture in a culture-sensitive conceptual framework the influence of these factors. With the aid of community and province-level mobilisation of a task force comprised of youth, schools, community organizations and policy-makers, this conceptual framework will be developed and tested in the province of Jujuy, Argentina.  As a result, a scale for predicting smoking initiation, cessation and relapse among youth will be developed showing a detailed picture of youth smoking in this multicultural, tobacco-growing area of Argentina.

Overall Objective

The overall objective is to contribute to reducing the public health impact of smoking by enabling youth in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, to make informed lifestyle choices, and to assume leadership in spearheading community-wide prevention, public awareness, and policy-making actions.

Specific Objectives

1.    To examine qualitatively the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors for smoking among youth in the province of Jujuy.

2.    To examine public attitudes and the current policy framework for tobacco control.

3.    To develop and test scales that are appropriate for the youth population in the study area for measurement of the psychosocial determinants of smoking.

4.    To promote social participation with youth leadership, in the development and implementation of tobacco control actions in the province of Jujuy.
 

Expected Outcomes

Through qualitative methods, literature review, and a new survey instrument, the research is expected to lead to an in-depth understanding of the personal and social factors that influence the smoking behaviour of youths, including in and out of school youth. In addition, the data generated through the project will lay the foundation for a scientifically sound and culturally appropriate survey tool to assess the risk and protective factors for smoking among youth and the development of appropriate interventions. Through multi-stakeholder task forces and youth leadership, it is expected that the research findings will guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive action plan for tobacco control, comprising policy and program measures for Jujuy, Argentina.