Of the participants: 57% had ever smoked cigarettes; 29.3% were current cigarette smokers; and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) was above 80.0%. Compared to non-institutionalized adolescents, institutionalized adolescents seem to be more prone to start and continue smoking; have higher access to tobacco; know less about the health hazards of smoking; and have higher prevalence of addiction, especially among girls.