| Abstrakt: |
Introduction: Tobacco smoke and second-hand smoking exposure, at home or in school during childhood and adolescence, increases the risk of respiratory illness. Youth smoking is mostly associated with parents, and their smoking behavior. Also, there are other influences: social environment, targeted advertising, easy access to cigarette products, no control over age limit in purchasing cigarettes, lack of knowledge about the effects of smoking. Material and method: To evaluate the influence of the environment, social and personal beliefs, and educational influences on tobacco consumption in children, we developed a questionnaire that was applied to a group of middle school children from Constanta County, Romania. The purpose of this study was to gain the information required to create health programs, based on real-life smoking habits. The standard sample size was set for the minimum of 245 students. The resulting data was initially entered into an Excel spreadsheet and then imported into the SPSS software, version 19 (USA) of the statistical analysis program. Results: 254 students completed the questionnaire, based on the instructions given during their orientation. The gender distribution was very evenly split: 49.6% were male and 50.4% were female. Out of 254 students, 70 of them had tried smoking at least once by the time they were 15 years old. From the lifetime smokers, 2.86% tried their first cigarette by age of 7, but 12-13 year olds are most at risk to start smoking, when they are curious and open to experience new things. Also, 17% of current smokers smoked more than 10 days/month, and 11% of them have smoked more than 10 cigarettes/day. 14% of current smokers said that the first thing they do in the morning is smoke. Out of 254 subjects, 70.4% said that one or both of their parents are smokers, and 61% of them have at least one friend that smokes. In addition, 70.8% of subjects report that most of their classmates smoke. When purchasing cigarettes, either for personal or for someone else's use, 13 students were refused due to their young age, and 109 were allowed to make their purchase. 73 reported that they could purchase cigarettes within proximity of their school, and 92.5% of the subjects said that they are aware that smoking is harmful. 37.4% of subjects reported that they were taught at school about the effects of smoking within the last 12 months, and 72.44% discussed the detrimental effects of tobacco with their parents. Finally, 76.3% had heard anti-smoking advertising in the last 30 days. Conclusions: Comparing the above with data from international studies, in Constanta county, the age when the youth subjects started smoking is much lower than in other places. To address this issue, education towards awareness and more understanding of the harmful effects of smoking should begin in middle school. Education should not be limited only to students; parents, teachers and other adults involved in the education process should be trained to have an active role in creating a tobacco-free environment. Moreover, the smoke-free legislation should be enforced and respected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
