RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to estimate the prevalence of smoking in adolescents and its association with some individual and family characteristics in urban and rural areas. METHODS: An analytic cross-sectional study was carried out in 3161 junior high school students, of eight public and two private urban schools and three public rural schools. Some student behaviors on tobacco use, patterns of smoking and alcohol consumption in the family and socioeconomic status were measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking increased with age. In private urban schools, women had a higher prevalence that males (27.6 % vs. 19.3 %). In rural area schools was higher in males (9.9 % vs. 3.5 %). Individual characteristics associated with smoking were: the curiosity to smoke (OR = 9.7, CI 95 % = 5.8-16.3), having experienced with smoking (OR = 26, CI 95% = 12-56.6) and alcohol consumption (OR = 2.9, CI 95 % = 2.1-3.9). The family characteristics that influence adolescent smoking were the presence of smoking habit in the father (OR = 1.5, CI 95% = 1.1-2) or in the brother or sister (OR = 2, CI 95 % = 1.3-3). The parents living together (OR = 0.6, CI 95 % = 0.4-0.9) was a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: The exploratory behavior of the adolescent and the patterns of tobacco use and alcohol consumption in the family influenced the adoption of this habit.