title: Smoking and Passive Smoke Exposure Among Adolescents in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children and adolescents are the most important target group for smoking prevention and non-smoker protection measures (smoke-free legislation). In this article, we discuss trends over time and differences between social groups with regard to smoking and passive smoke exposure among adolescents in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data evaluated in this article were collected in two different study periods of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), namely, 2003-2006 and 2009-2012. Adolescents aged 11 to 17 were asked about their smoking behavior and passive smoke exposure (6812 and 5258 respondents in the two study periods, respectively). Their social status was rated with an index based on information supplied by the adolescents' parents about their level of education, occupation, and income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of smoking among adolescents fell in approximately six years from 20.4% to 12.0% (p< 0.001), and that of daily smoking from 13.3% to 5.4% (p<0.001). The percentage of non-smokers who spent time several days per week, or every day, in rooms where other persons were smoking declined from 35.1% to 18.8% (p<0.001). The lower the respondents' social status, the more likely they were to smoke daily and to have regular passive exposure to smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that the measures implemented in recent years to protect adolescents from the health risks of active and passive smoking have been beneficial independently of the adolescents' social backgrounds.
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin.
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Kuntz
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Lampert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067697:Adolescent Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000639:trends*; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution