Tobacco use among students aged 13-15 years in Greece: the GYTS project.
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Kyrlesi
Athina
A
Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, Athens, Greece. Kyrlesi@med.uth.gr <Kyrlesi@med.uth.gr>
Soteriades
Elpidoforos S
ES
Warren
Charles W
CW
Kremastinou
Jeni
J
Papastergiou
Panagiotis
P
Jones
Nathan R
NR
Hadjichristodoulou
Christos
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*