Determinants of Smoking Behavior in Junior High School (Sekolah Menengah Pertama) at Kabanjahe District

Introduction: The age of smokers in Indonesia is now getting younger; it has even touched the age of children. The prevalence of smoking among school-aged adolescents, or those aged 10–18 years, has increased by 9.1%. An initial survey in several junior high schools in Kabanjahe District showed that many students smoked in several shops around the school after returning from school. This study aims to determine the determinants of smoking behavior in junior high school students in Kabanjahe District. Methods: The type of research used is qualitative research with a phenomenological design. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews. The determination of informants used the purposive sampling method and obtained as many as four informants. Results: According to the findings of this study, the determinants of smoking behaviour in adolescents are their peers who invite them to smoke, factors associated with parents who do not supervise and even smoke in front of their children, and advertising factors in the mass media that involve attractive and good-looking models. The living environment contributes to adolescent smoking behavior, as does the Karo cultural factor, where cigarettes are one of the important ingredients in every traditional event in the Karo Community. Conclusion: The school should be able to provide efforts to prevent smoking behavior with training involving peer counselling by utilizing outstanding teenagers as peer educators in an effort to keep children away from the influence of smoking.