TY - JOUR
T1 - Tobacco use among students aged 13-15 years in Greece
T2 - The GYTS project
AU - Kyrlesi, Athina
AU - Soteriades, Elpidoforos S.
AU - Warren, Charles W.
AU - Kremastinou, Jeni
AU - Papastergiou, Panagiotis
AU - Jones, Nathan R.
AU - Hadjichristodoulou, Christos
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Background. Data on the prevalence of tobacco use among teenagers in Greece are limited. We examined the prevalence of smoking among middle-school students in Greece using the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Methods. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey was implemented in Greece during the academic year 2004 - 2005 by the University of Thessaly and the National School of Public Health. Data were collected using the GYTS self-administered anonymous questionnaire, which was distributed by specifically trained field workers to a nationally representative sample of middle-school students aged 13-15 years (through randomly selected schools and classes), randomly selected through a two-stage cluster sample design. Data processing and statistical analyses were performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results. About one third of the students 32.1% (29.4 - 35.0) reported that they had tried tobacco in the past, while 16.2% (14.3 - 18.4) reported being current users of tobacco products. In addition, 1 in 4 of ever smokers reported that they began smoking before the age of 10 years old. Almost 1 in 5 never smokers reported being susceptible to initiate smoking in the next year and about 89.8% (88.3 - 91.1) of the respondents were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their homes and 94.1% (93.2 - 94.9) in public places. Finally, a strikingly high number of students 95% (89.5 - 97.7) reported that they were able to buy their own cigarettes without restrictions. Conclusion. The results of the GYTS show that the prevalence of smoking in middle-school children is alarmingly high in Greece. Smoking among young people constitutes a significant problem that is destined to worsen in the absence of any comprehensive efforts focused on strict anti-smoking legislation, policies and tobacco control interventions targeting children at a young age.
AB - Background. Data on the prevalence of tobacco use among teenagers in Greece are limited. We examined the prevalence of smoking among middle-school students in Greece using the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Methods. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey was implemented in Greece during the academic year 2004 - 2005 by the University of Thessaly and the National School of Public Health. Data were collected using the GYTS self-administered anonymous questionnaire, which was distributed by specifically trained field workers to a nationally representative sample of middle-school students aged 13-15 years (through randomly selected schools and classes), randomly selected through a two-stage cluster sample design. Data processing and statistical analyses were performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results. About one third of the students 32.1% (29.4 - 35.0) reported that they had tried tobacco in the past, while 16.2% (14.3 - 18.4) reported being current users of tobacco products. In addition, 1 in 4 of ever smokers reported that they began smoking before the age of 10 years old. Almost 1 in 5 never smokers reported being susceptible to initiate smoking in the next year and about 89.8% (88.3 - 91.1) of the respondents were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their homes and 94.1% (93.2 - 94.9) in public places. Finally, a strikingly high number of students 95% (89.5 - 97.7) reported that they were able to buy their own cigarettes without restrictions. Conclusion. The results of the GYTS show that the prevalence of smoking in middle-school children is alarmingly high in Greece. Smoking among young people constitutes a significant problem that is destined to worsen in the absence of any comprehensive efforts focused on strict anti-smoking legislation, policies and tobacco control interventions targeting children at a young age.
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-2458-7-3
DO - 10.1186/1471-2458-7-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 17207291
AN - SCOPUS:33846840388
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 7
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
M1 - 3
ER -