Youth tobacco use in Latin America: What is the real extent of the problem?

• M. Urrutia-Pereira ^[1] ; D. Solé ^[2] ; H.J. Chong Neto ^[3] ; H. Badellino ^[5] ; V. Acosta ^[6] ; R.L. Castro-Almarales ^[7] ; M.G. León ^[7] ; M.M. Avalos ^[8] ; C.C. Fernández ^[9] ; J.C. Sisul-Alvariza ^[10] ; V.J. Oliano ^[4] ; P.N. Rinelli ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidade Federal do Pampa

     Universidade Federal do Pampa

     Brasil

     
  2. [2] Universidade Federal de São Paulo

     Universidade Federal de São Paulo

     Brasil

     
  3. [3] Universidade Federal do Paraná

     Universidade Federal do Paraná

     Brasil

     
  4. [4] Universidade da Região da Campanha

     Universidade da Região da Campanha

     Brasil

     
  5. [5] Universidad UCES – San Francisco, Argentina
  6. [6] Clinica del Pilares, Corrientes, Argentina
  7. [7] Policlinico Docente Pedro Fonseca Alvarez, Habana, Cuba
  8. [8] Hospital ISSSTE, Veracruz, México
  9. [9] INMUNE Clinic – CDE, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
  10. [10] Clínica de Alergia y Asma, Asunción, Paraguay

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• Localización: Allergologia et immunopathologia: International journal for clinical and investigate allergology and clinical immunology, ISSN-e 1578-1267, ISSN 0301-0546, Vol. 47, Nº. 4, 2019, págs. 328-335
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • 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.