Prevalence of cigarette smoking among secondary school students--Budapest, Hungary, 1995 and 1999

The average per capita cigarette consumption in Hungary is among the highest in the world (World Health Organization [WHO], unpublished data, 1997) (1). In 1999, the Metropolitan Institute of State Public Health and Public Health Officer Service, Budapest, Hungary, collaborating with CDC, conducted a survey of cigarette smoking among secondary school students aged 14-18 years in Budapest (1999 population of Budapest: approximately 2 million), similar to a survey conducted in 1995 (2). This report summarizes the survey findings, which indicate that current smoking among secondary school students in Budapest increased from 36% in 1995 to 46% in 1999.     

Prevalence of cigarette smoking among Australian secondary school students in 1993

Abstract: The prevalence of cigarette smoking in Australian secondary school students in 1993 was estimated from a survey of 22 696 12- to 17-year-old students from 332 secondary schools (and feeder schools) in all states and the Northern Territory. Self-administered questionnaires were answered anonymously by groups of up to 20 students selected randomly from school rolls, a method that replicated previous surveys in 1984, 1987 and 1990. Current smoking (smoking at least one cigarette in the week preceding the survey) at 12 years of age was 8 per cent in boys and 7 per cent in girls, but in those 17 years of age the prevalence was much higher (28 per cent of boys, 31 per cent of girls). Age was also associated with the mean number of cigarettes smoked per week by current smokers (8.6 in boys and 7.0 in girls at age 12 and 43.8 in boys and 32.0 in girls at age 17). After controlling for sex, age, school type and state of residence, the percentage of 12- to 15-year-olds who were current smokers rose from 15.7 per cent to 17.5 per cent between 1990 and 1993, an effect that was more pronounced in boys. On the other hand, the mean number of cigarettes smoked by 12- to 15-year-old current smokers dropped from 23 per week to 19.5, and the reduced consumption was greatest in boys. Furthermore, there was no increase in the proportion of students who smoked on three or more days per week, which suggests the increase was limited to occasional, casual or social smoking.     

A survey of cigarette smoking among middle school students in 1988

A survey of the prevalence of smoking in middle school students aged 13-21 years in Harbin city, China, was undertaken in the Spring of 1988. A random sample of 4712 students was selected using proportional stratified clustering. A self-administered confidential questionnaire relating to smoking habits and certain family and school factors was administered. The results showed that 1.29% of the students (2.21% boys and 0.38% girls) smoked regularly, 5.62% (10.52% boys and 0.76% girls) were light smokers and 13.77% (24.29% boys and 2.92% girls) smoked only occasionally. Smoking habits were related to the type of school and to age, there being a higher proportion of smoking in senior grade students. Students were significantly more likely to smoke if they were male and if their siblings smoked. Prevalence of regular smoking was not related to parental occupation or family income. It is suggested that anti-smoking education in the school curriculum should be directed towards students in middle school.     

Psychosocial predictors of smoking among secondary school students in Henan, China

The objective of this study was to measure the risk factors associated with tobacco use among secondary school students in Henan, China. Self-reported questionnaires were administered to four secondary schools; 3519 students were studied including 1799 boys and 1720 girls aged 10-19. Demographic, behavioral, attitudinal/belief, knowledge and interpersonal variables were investigated. Overall, 15.1% of boys and 1.4% girls reported smoking at least occasionally. Smoking onset is most prevalent from the ages of 10-14. The smoking rate increased with age. The likelihood of tobacco use was significantly higher among those having peers, teachers or mother who smoked. Positive smoking-related attitudes among students had a significant association with their smoking status. The results suggest that effective smoking prevention interventions need to be comprehensive and implemented in the early teen years.     

Risk factors for cigarette smoking among high school students in Okinawa, Japan

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between risk factors and smoking status among high school students in Okinawa, Japan. We also examined if there is a dose-response relation between the number of risk factors and smoking status. Self-reported questionnaires including smoking status and potential risk factors were conducted using a sample of 1,029 students of a public senior high school in Okinawa. The percentage of smokers was 40.0% for males and 10.6% for females, and it was significantly higher for males than females. As a result of multivariate analysis, we identified four significant risk factors; peer smoking, attitude of peer toward subject smoking, intention to smoke at the age 20, and alcohol drinking. The number of these risk factors was linearly associated with increased percentage of smokers, and a linear trend was significant for both gender students. Additionally, magnitude of risk for smoking among females became considerably great compared with those of males as the number of risk factors increased. In conclusion, this study was the first study in Japan to indicate a significant dose-response relationship between the number of risk factors and smoking status among high school students. We also found that females with many risk factors had extremely increased vulnerability to smoking compared to male counterpart. These findings may be useful to identify high-risk students who need more intensive smoking prevention programs and to develop the content of effective interventions.     

A period of increased susceptibility to cigarette smoking among high school students

Cross-sectional surveys of randomly selected high school students were conducted in October 1999 and in May 2000 to measure awareness of youth-led tobacco prevention efforts. A secondary goal of the surveys was to learn about tobacco use and attitudes. Respondents who never smoked cigarettes were asked if they had made a firm commitment to not smoke, and respondents who had not made such a commitment were considered susceptible. Among ninth graders, susceptibility increased from 31% in October to 47% in May, while susceptibility decreased from October to May for students in more advanced grades (p = 0.03, interaction of linear trends). Susceptibility was more common among students who felt smoking produced social benefits (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.22-2.08) or who were tolerant of tobacco company behavior (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.23-2.21), and less common among students who felt short-term adverse effects of cigarette smoking on health or hygiene were important to them (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.97). Further studies should confirm the increase in susceptibility and its underlying mechanisms. Whether associated with ninth grade or with the first year in a new school, this previously unrecognized period of heightened susceptibility might represent an important opportunity for prevention.     

Incidence and variables contributing to onset of cigarette smoking among secondary school children and medical students in Lagos, Nigeria.

This paper reports the findings of a survey of smoking habits among secondary schoolchildren and medical students in Lagos, Nigeria. Altogether 40% of boys and 8.4% of girls at secondary school, and 72.4% of men and 22.2% of women at medical school were found to smoke. While the smoking habit of the secondary schoolboys was influenced by the smoking habits of their parents and friends, the smoking habit of the secondary schoolgirls and female medical students was mainly influenced by that of their friends. This study provides a baseline against which future studies on smoking habits in developing African countries may be measured, and the results show that health education on cigarette smoking must start in primary and secondary schools.     

Psychological constructs to predicting smoking behavior among Korean secondary school students

BACKGROUND: Current research on cigarette smoking has largely been focused on identifying the relationship between psychological attributes and the onset or initiation of smoking behavior. Few data are available on the psychological predictors of smoking behavior among Korean adolescents. This study examined the prevalence of smoking behavior among Korean adolescents, revealed factors affecting their smoking behavior, and identified the relationship between smoking behavior and psychological variables. METHODS: Four Korean-version questionnaires were used to assess adolescents' smoking behavior and their psychological attributes: Smoking Habit Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Scale, Self-efficacy Scale, and Self-esteem Scale. Frequency, Chi-square, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data obtained in the study. RESULTS: The results indicate that smoking problem in the Korean adolescents is a crucial factor that might adversely affect their overall health. Forty-three percent of adolescents responded that they had smoked a cigarette in their lifetime and 26% are current smokers. Male adolescents were more likely to smoke in their lifetime and have currently smoked a cigarette than females. The adolescents aged 17-18 years had smoked more cigarette than those in other age groups. Among the five psychological variables, IHLC and self-efficacy significantly differentiated adolescents at different smoking status. Furthermore, IHLC, self-esteem, and self-efficacy were significantly correlated with smoking behavior and those psychological constructs had a significant linear relation to account for smoking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological variables have a meaningful influence on smoking behavior of adolescents.     

Initiation of cigarette smoking and subsequent smoking behavior among U.S. high school students

BACKGROUND: Most adult smokers report trying their first cigarette before age 18 years. Understanding the impact of smoking initiation at young ages may help public health policy makers and practitioners improve strategies to prevent or delay adolescent cigarette smoking. METHODS: This paper examined age of initiation of cigarette smoking and subsequent patterns of smoking among U.S. high school students 16 years of age and older (N = 13,858). We used data from the 1991-1997 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: The majority of students 16 years of age and older (60.4%) reported ever having smoked a whole cigarette, and 11.1% initiated smoking at age 10 years or younger. Age of smoking initiation was significantly related to current frequent smoking, daily smoking, and whether students had ever smoked daily. A younger age of smoking initiation was associated with smoking more cigarettes per day than was initiating at an older age. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying the onset of smoking may affect the likelihood of becoming addicted to nicotine and smoking heavily. For students who are already addicted to nicotine, smoking cessation programs are needed.     

Bans on electronic cigarette sales to minors and smoking among high school students

Many states have banned electronic cigarette sales to minors under the rationale that using e-cigarettes leads to smoking traditional combustion cigarettes. Such sales bans would be counterproductive, however, if e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes are substitutes, as bans might push teenagers back to smoking the more dangerous combustion cigarettes. We provide evidence that these sales bans reduce the incidence of smoking conventional cigarettes among high school seniors. Moreover, we provide evidence suggesting that sales bans reduced e-cigarette usage as well. This evidence suggests that not only are e-cigarettes and smoking regular cigarettes positively related and not substitutes for young people, banning retail sales to minors is an effective policy tool in reducing tobacco use.     

广州市初中男生尝试戒烟和戒烟成功的影响因素

目的了解初中男生的尝试戒烟率、戒烟成功率及其影响因素。方法用自填式问卷对4658名初中男生进行横断面调查,收集人口学资料、学校情况、有关吸烟与健康的知识和态度以及个人吸烟和戒烟行为等信息。结果初中男生的规律吸烟率为7·6%,68·6%的规律吸烟男生在过去12个月中尝试过戒烟,戒烟成功率为17·2%。前两位的戒烟动机是“吸烟会影响健康”和“有人劝我戒烟”。筛选出4个有统计学意义的影响尝试戒烟的因素,促进戒烟的有“曾经被人劝戒烟”、“健康缘故”、“心情不好时才吸烟”和“父母反对吸烟”等。另外,有2个影响因素与戒烟成功有统计学关联:“曾接触过反烟宣传”能促使戒烟成功,而“经常在校外吸烟”是阻碍因素。结论大部分规律吸烟者尝试过戒烟,但成功率低。应根据青少年的生理和心理特点,整合学校、家庭和社会等多方力量来帮助其成功戒烟。     

无锡市中小学生尝试吸烟行为及其影响因素分析

了解无锡市青少年尝试吸烟行为现况及影响因素,为开展学校控烟工作提供科学依据.方法 2012年10月对整群随机抽取的无锡市2 467名中小学生进行匿名自填式吸烟知识行为问卷调查.结果 学生自报有尝试吸烟行为的比例为5.11%,男生高于女生,高年级学生高于低年级学生,差异均有统计学意义(x2值分别为21.006,10.507,P值均<0.05).126名尝试吸烟的学生中,第一次尝试吸烟年龄主要分布在7岁(27.78%)和14~ 15岁(20.63%),第一次尝试吸烟的场所主要在自己家里(61.86%)和社交场所(18.64%),第一支烟的来源主要为父母给的(44.07%)、自己偷偷拿的(27.73%)和校外朋友给的(22.03%).尝试吸烟行为的危险因素是男生(OR=2.90,95%CI=1.88~4.46)、高年级(初中OR=3.80,95%CI=1.86~7.76;高中OR=10.84,95%CI=5.21 ~22.57;高职OR=13.44,95%CI=6.28 ~ 28.77)、父亲和(或)母亲吸烟(OR=1.52,95%CI=1.01~2.30)、校园内有人吸烟(OR=2.46,95%CI=1.50~4.04)、曾经买过烟(OR=13.71,95%CI=6.50~28.93)和不知晓吸烟危害(OR=2.87,95%CI=1.18~7.00).结论 青少年缺乏吸烟危害相关知识、生活环境中广泛存在的吸烟文化和宽松的吸烟环境是促成学生发生尝试吸烟行为的影响因素.除了向青少年普及烟草危害,还应教育家长减少孩子接触烟草的机会,落实学校无烟政策.     

Correlates of cigarette smoking among male college students in Karachi,Pakistan

Background  

About 1.3 billion people are regular smokers world wide and every day between 8,200 and 9,900 young people start to smoke, risking rapid addiction to nicotine. Transition from high school to college is a critical period to adopt healthy habits and life style. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that might influence their smoking habit. Our study aims to assess the influence of factors that encourage college students to smoke cigarettes.     

State-specific prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults--United States, 2003

Cigarette smoking causes approximately 440,000 deaths annually in the United States. To assess the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults, CDC analyzed data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated substantial variation in cigarette smoking prevalence in the 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) (range: 10.0%-34.0%). To further reduce the prevalence of smoking, states/areas should implement comprehensive tobacco-control programs.