[영문]Objectives. We sought to describe the dominant social contexts and meaningsof smoking among Mexican university students.Methods. Structured observations were made and individual in-depth interviewswere conducted with 43 university students who were at five levels ofinvolvement with smoking (i.e., never smoker; ex-smoker; experimenter; regularsmoker; frequent smoker). Content analysis of interview transcripts was used todistill the primary settings and themes that students associated with smoking.Results. Outside their homes and away from the purview of their parents, theenvironments that students frequented were permissive of smoking, supportingtheir perceptions of smoking behavior, cigarettes, and the tobacco industryas normal and socially acceptable. Cigarette smoking was a highly socialpractice, with students practicing simultaneous smoking and cigarette sharingto underscore bonds with others. Moreover, the leisure times and places inwhich students smoked appeared to bolster their perceptions of cigarettes asoffering them pleasurable relaxation and escape from boredom and conflictualsocial relations. All students believed that smoking was addictive and thatsecond-hand smoke was dangerous to non-smokers. The short-term negativeoutcomes of smoking appeared more salient to students than either the longer-term health outcomes of smoking or the practices of the tobacco industry.Conclusions. The meanings and context of smoking were comparable to thosefound among youth in other parts of the world. Successful tobacco preventionmessages and policies to prevent smoking in other youth populations may alsosucceed among Mexican youth.