Las prácticas socioculturales y consumo de cigarrillo entre los jóvenes guaraní de Jujuy, Argentina

the study is base don 14 interviews conducted in the departments of san pedro, libertador general san martin, fraile pintado, and santa clara of the province of jujuy, among youth 10 to 15 years of age. we also interviewed indigenous leaders. we analyzed the structural conditions of living, and social and cultural factors of guaraní indigenous youth who face interaction with the hegemonic western lifestyle. to understand risk behavioral patterns and the motivations for this type of behaviors it is important to understand not only the socioeconomic context, but also de world view of amazonic indigenous peoples. any assessment of youth behaviors and of cigarette smoking in particular requires understanidn not only individual factors but the interaction among other youth, the family, school and community. smoking appears to be a social construction associated to adolescence and the passage to adulthood and this behavior unveils divers structural social problems.