Socioeconomic Patterning in Changes in Child Exposure to Secondhand Smoke After Implementation of Smoke-Free Legislation in Wales

Introduction: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) households. Legislation banning smoking in public places has been linked with reduced SHS exposure in children. However, socioeconomic patterning in responses to legislation has been little explored. Methods: A total of 3,083 children aged 10–11 years, within 75 Welsh primary schools, completed questionnaires either before legislation or 1 year later. Saliva samples were provided by 2,787 of these children for cotinine assay. Regression analyses assessed socioeconomic differences in SHS exposure, and associations of legislation with exposure among children from low, medium, and high SES households. Changes in parental smoking in the home, car-based exposure, and perceived norms were assessed. Results: SHS exposure was highest among children from lower SES households. The likelihood of providing a sample containing an undetectable level of cotinine increased significantly after legislation among children from high [relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.04–2.00] and medium SES households (RRR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.20–2.30), while exposure among children from lower SES households remained unchanged. Parental smoking in the home, car-based SHS exposure, and perceived smoking prevalence were highest among children from low SES households. Parental smoking in the home and children’s estimates of adult smoking prevalence declined only among children from higher SES households. Conclusions: Post-legislation reductions in SHS exposure were limited to children from higher SES households. Children from lower SES households continue to have high levels of exposure, particularly in homes and cars, and to perceive that smoking is the norm among adults

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. CONCLUSION: 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

Tobacco use and cessation counselling: Global Health Professionals Survey Pilot Study, 10 countries, 2005

One of the strategies to reduce the number of smoking‐related deaths is to encourage the involvement of health professionals in tobacco‐use prevention and cessation counselling. The World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Canadian Public Health Association developed the Global Health Professionals Survey (GHPS) to collect data on tobacco use and cessation counselling among health‐profession students in all WHO member states. This report summarises findings from the GHPS Pilot Study, which consisted of 16 surveys conducted in 10 countries among third year students in four health‐profession disciplines (dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy) during the first quarter of 2005. The findings indicated that current cigarette smoking among these students was higher than 20% in seven of the 10 countries surveyed. Nevertheless, 87–99% of the students surveyed believed they should have a role in counselling patients to quit smoking; only 5–37% of these third‐year students had actually received formal training in how to conduct such counselling. Schools for health professionals, public health organisations, and education officials should work together to design and implement training in smoking cessation counselling for all health‐profession students

The Global School Personnel Survey: a cross‐country overview

Teachers and administrators are role models for students, conveyors of tobacco prevention curricula, and key opinion leaders for school tobacco control policies. School teachers and administrators have daily interaction with students and thus represent an influential group for tobacco control. Data collected by the Global School Personnel Survey between 2000 and 2005 have shown that an alarming proportion of school personnel smoke cigarettes and use other forms of tobacco. At the regional level, current cigarette smoking is between 15% and 19% among school personnel included in this report around the world. The scarcity of tobacco‐free schools and the high level of smoking on school grounds by school personnel reported in this study indicate how seriously school practice and staff actions undermine the educational messages and other prevention efforts to reduce adolescent smoking prevalence. However, the majority of school personnel in most sites strongly agreed that they should receive specific training to help students avoid or stop using tobacco