Malkhaz Makashvili*, Maia Khadouri, Irma Khachidze, Beka Ujmajuridze, Nino Duchidze, TeonaGubianuri and ElgujaTabatadze.
About 12% of school pupils are smokers in Georgia. To learn more about the perception of young people regarding anti-smoking measures, we delivered six anti-smoking messages containing written and pictorial information to 58 ninth-and tenth-graders, mean age 15.2, of both sexes, non-smokers. Subjects were instructed to score each message as most/lest convincing not to smoke. Total of 3 school textbooks for ninth-and tenth-graders, currently in use in public schools in Georgia, were surveyed for the presence and content of anti-smoking information. Messages regarding negative effect of smoking on appearance were reported most convincing not to smoke as compared to inscriptions on cigarette packs and messages, regarding organs, damaged from smoking and story of smoker died of smoking. Only one textbook was found containing information about the effect of smoking on appearance. For further improvement of anti-smoking propaganda targeted at school pupils, we recommend to highlight the negative influence of smoking on kids’ appearance.