title: [Sex differences in experimentation and tobacco consumption by children, adolescents and young adults].
abstract: Studies carried out in the past ten years have found the prevalence or smoking among children and adolescents to be high, with the greatest increase observed for girls and young women, indicating increasing gender-related differences. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalences and differences among children and adolescents of both sexes with regard to experimentation and use of tobacco products and to determine any possible influence related to urban or rural environment. Eight hundred fourteen students participated, with 809 providing valid data for study: 385 males and 424 females ranging in age from 13 to 24 years old (15.90 +/- 1.73 years). The subjects studied in either an urban or a rural school. Data was collected on campus by questionnaire and carbon monoxide in expired air was measured. Smoking had been tried by 68.2%: 241 males (62.5%) and 31 females (73.3%) (p < 0.001). Habitual smoking was reported by 27.2%: 78 males (20.2%) and 142 females (33.4%) (p < 0.001). Mean ages of experimenters (16.18 +/- 1.78 years) and smokers (16.55 +/- 1.85 years) were higher than the mean age of non-experimenters (15.29 +/- 1.43) (p < 0.001). Habitual smokers consumed a mean 2.71 +/- 1.68 cigarettes/day and consumption was similar for both sexes. CO in expired air was 12.61 +/- 6.39 ppm in these smokers, significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that found in experimenters and non smokers (p 0.001). One hundred eighty students (22.2%), 119 females and 61 males (p < 0.001), reported having smoked on the morning of the study. In total, 81.8% of the students who described themselves as smokers had smoked that morning: 78.2% of the males and 83.9% of the females. CO in this group was 13.95 +/- 1.69 ppm, significantly higher than that found for the other groups (non smokers or experimenters). We found no significant differences between number of cigarettes/day smoked by students who reported being habitual smokers and the number consumed the morning of data collection by students who had smoked the day of the study. Changes can be observed in patterns of tobacco use among children and young people. We found that nearly all aspects related to experimentation and consumption of tobacco are significantly higher in females.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Universitario, Salamanca.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barrueco
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cordovilla
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hernández Mezquita
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gómez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population
vernacular_title: Diferencias entre sexos en la experimentación y consumo de tabaco por niños, adolescentes y jóvenes.