Institute of Public Health, Rr. "Aleksander Moisiu", No. 80, P.O. Box 1005 Tirana, Albania.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Rr. "Dibres", No. 371, P.O. Box 1005 Tirana, Albania.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Aug 29;21(9):1145. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21091145.
Smoking among children remains a critical public health issue, with millions of minors engaging in tobacco use, leading to addiction and long-term health consequences. Our objective was to assess the prevalence and sociodemographic distribution of smoking habits among Albanian children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Albania in 2022, including a nationwide representative sample of 5454 schoolchildren aged 11, 13, and 15 years (N = 5454; ≈52% girls; response rate: 96%). Data on smoking habits were gathered, along with sociodemographic factors of schoolchildren. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the associations of smoking variables with sociodemographic factors. The prevalence of smoking variables was 12% for lifetime cigarette smoking, 7% for current cigarette smoking, 20% for lifetime smoking of e-cigarettes, and 13% for current smoking of e-cigarettes. Independent positive correlates of both cigarette and e-cigarette smoking included male gender, age 15, and pertinence to more affluent families (all < 0.01). The prevalence of smoking among Albanian children is seemingly high, which should be a cause of serious concern to decisionmakers and policymakers in this transitional country. Albania should immediately consider the implementation of expanded comprehensive tobacco control measures, which will save lives, reduce illness, and help reduce the economic burden associated with tobacco-related illness.
儿童吸烟仍然是一个严重的公共卫生问题，数以百万计的未成年人吸烟，导致成瘾和长期健康后果。我们的目的是评估阿尔巴尼亚儿童吸烟习惯的流行率和社会人口分布。2022 年在阿尔巴尼亚进行了一项横断面研究，包括全国代表性的 5454 名 11、13 和 15 岁的学龄儿童（N=5454；约 52%为女孩；应答率：96%）。收集了吸烟习惯以及学龄儿童社会人口因素的数据。使用二元逻辑回归评估吸烟变量与社会人口因素的关联。吸烟变量的流行率为终生吸烟 12%，当前吸烟 7%，终生使用电子烟 20%，当前使用电子烟 13%。香烟和电子烟吸烟的独立正相关因素包括男性、15 岁和更富裕家庭（均 < 0.01）。阿尔巴尼亚儿童吸烟的流行率似乎很高，这应该引起决策者和政策制定者在这个转型国家的严重关注。阿尔巴尼亚应立即考虑实施扩大的全面烟草控制措施，这将挽救生命、减少疾病，并有助于减轻与烟草相关疾病相关的经济负担。
