Advancing Global Tobacco Control: Exploring Worldwide Youth Attitudes and Behaviors toward Tobacco Use and Control

• Main Author: Veeranki, Sreenivas Phanikumar
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2012
• Subjects: Global Youth Tobacco Survey; Smoking; Youth; Smoke-free Policy; Susceptibility; Environmental Tobacco Smoke; Medicine and Health Sciences; Public Health
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1223; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=etd

Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the world. The disproportionate increase in tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries needs immediate attention. Many smokers begin smoking as adolescents and are most likely to become permanent smokers. Moreover, youth are highly targeted by tobacco industry strategies. However, a gap exists in literature to understand worldwide youth tobacco use and control. The purpose of this study is to 1) identify factors that influence never-smoking youths‟ smoking susceptibility, 2) explore characteristics that influence youth exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and 3) to delineate key determinants of youth support for smoke-free policies (SFPs). Data related to worldwide youth tobacco use was obtained from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey for the years 1999-2008. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted, after the sample was weighted for design effect, nonresponse patterns and poststratification. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios along with 95% confidence intervals were reported. Around 14% of never-smoking youth were susceptible to smoking worldwide. Around 40% and 50% youth were exposed to ETS inside and outside the home respectively, and 78% supported SPFs globally. Parental and peer smoking was strongly associated with smoking susceptibility in never-smoking youth [AOR 2.63, 95% CI 2.43 to 2.84], and youth exposure to ETS inside [AOR 5.09, 95% CI 4.84 to 5.35] and outside [AOR 2.51, 95% CI 2.39 to 2.63] the home, while anti-smoking school education was negatively associated. Youth having knowledge about smoking harm [AOR 2.37, 95% CI 2.22 to 2.54] supported SFPs, while youth exposed to tobacco industry promotion [AOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.89] did not support. The study highlighted a number of modifiable factors that can be used for augmenting global tobacco control in youth. Well-executed anti-smoking campaigns, parental and peer education, inclusion of anti-tobacco education in school curricula, comprehensive SFPs, and comprehensive ban on tobacco industry strategies are important approaches to prevent tobacco use and advance global tobacco control in youth.