Adolescents Caught Between the Temptation and the Habit of Smoking.

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a stage characterized by behaviors that pose significant risks to long-term health, and smoking is one of the most prominent risks among young people. This period is also considered a stage with an increased need for interaction and acceptance from peer groups, which can lead adolescents to take on new risks. In this context, smoking, in various forms (cigarettes, cigarillos, vape/e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, etc.), is a major public health issue among young people. Tobacco use, perceived as a socializing factor, provides adolescents with the opportunity to integrate more easily into groups.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research was to identify potential changes in adolescents' smoking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on sociodemographic data. Additionally, we aimed to identify the existence of vulnerabilities that could lead to the later development of the smoking habit.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The research sample comprised 521 subjects aged 15-19 years, both girls and boys, from rural and urban areas in the southern (Olt) and northern (Suceava) regions of Romania. The study was cross-sectional and included data collected online through an anthropological questionnaire between April and May 2021. The study participants were enrolled in high school education conducted exclusively online during this period due to the context generated by the pandemic. The questionnaire included a series of questions related to smoking-related behaviours among adolescents, such as the age of onset of smoking temptation and the subsequent development of this habit, analyzed in relation to sociodemographic variables. Data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA).  Results: The results were obtained from the analysis of data provided by the 521 subjects in the research sample. Approximately 45% of our study subjects were tempted and tried to smoke, but only 17.3% became regular smokers and smoked daily, while 4.2% continued to be occasional smokers (3-5 cigarettes/month). It was found that there were no statistically significant differences by gender, place of origin, or geographical area in the age at which adolescents were tempted and even tried smoking. About 52.5% of the adolescents who tried to smoke did not become regular smokers, while those who became regular or occasional smokers represented 47.5%. In our sample, the vulnerable age for the subsequent establishment of regular smoking behaviour was between 13 and 14 years. Adolescents who perceived their family income as high or average reported higher tobacco consumption compared to those who perceived their family income as low.

CONCLUSIONS

Tobacco consumption habits did not seem to be influenced by the new situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of gender, place of origin (rural or urban), or geographical region, the age at which the temptation to smoke was most likely to develop into a habit was 14 or younger. It is noteworthy that more than half of the adolescents were not tempted to experiment with smoking. Among those who tried tobacco and continued smoking, boys showed a higher percentage than girls. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between family income and the quantity of tobacco consumed.