Resumen de Youth tobacco use in Latin America: What is the real extent of the problem?
M. Urrutia Pereira, D. Solé, H.J. Chong Neto, H. Badellino, V. Acosta, Raúl Lázaro Castro Almarales, M. González León, M.M. Avalos, C. Fernandez, J.C. Sisul Alvariza, V.J. Oliano, P.N. Rinelli
Introduction Cigarette consumption among teenagers is one of the most critical health-related risk behaviors.
Method Prospective study carried out in seven sites of five Latin American countries (Argentina [Cordoba, N = 958, Corrientes, N = 1013], Brazil [Curitiba, N = 650; Uruguaiana, N = 997], Cuba [Havana, N = 1004], Mexico [Veracruz, N = 991] and Paraguay [Ciudad del Este, N = 868]) with public-school adolescents (aged 12–19 years). Respondents were asked to answer the California Student Tobacco Survey.
Results 6550 adolescents took part in the survey (average age: 14 years). 38.5% (N = 2517) “tried smoking” and 37.5% started smoking before the age of 12. Sixty-one percent of adolescents think that cigarettes are easily accessible; 41.7% considered that smokers have more friends; 88% indicated knowledge of the harms of smoking one to five cigarettes per day; 58.9% would smoke new cigarette types with less harmful substances; 27.8% have already used e-cigarettes; 28% have smoked hookah. Fifty-seven point five percent have been, in the past seven days, in the same room with someone who was smoking a cigarette; and 30.5% indicated that there were not any no-smoking rules inside their homes. Identifiable risk factors were (logistic regression analysis): smoking cigarettes offered by friends, smoking cigarettes with less harmful substances, knowing what a hookah is, being in the same room with a smoker in the past week. Identifiable protective factors against tobacco use were: knowing the health risks caused by smoking hookah and to have their own room.
Conclusion Youth tobacco use in Latin America is a major public health concern, and tobacco control measures are highly needed.
