Smoking and school absenteeism among 15- to 16-year-old adolescents: a cross-section analysis on 36 European countries

Nationwide experiences with youth-targeted smoking and nicotine product cessation

INTRODUCTION

Most adolescent and young adult (youth) smokers and users of novel nicotine products wish to quit. Little is known, at a population level, about youth cessation activities, and the counselor's experiences in working with youth smoking and nicotine product cessation.

METHODS

A questionnaire was mailed to all 98 municipalities in Denmark on 31 October 2022. Youths were defined as those aged 16-25 years. The participation rate was 96% (n=94). Simple descriptive statistics were performed.

RESULTS

This survey explored youth-targeted smoking and nicotine product cessation activities and ex-periences from municipality counselors across the whole nation. Overall, 60% of the Danish municipal counselors had low/very low/no personal experience with youth cessation interventions, 89% found it dif-ficult to work with youth counseling, 90% found it difficult to recruit youth to nicotine cessation services, and only 25% of the active municipalities were described as highly experienced. A higher percentage of the highly experienced municipalities reported that they share the responsibility of recruitment to cessation services with schools, counsel youths in separate groups from adults, and have good experiences with online counseling.

CONCLUSIONS

This Danish nationwide survey showed that even in a country with very well-organized and free-of-charge cessation counseling programs, very few municipalities give assistance to youth, and most find it difficult to work with youth. Cessation services have been designed for adult smokers and seem to have failed to meet the needs of young smokers and users of novel nicotine products, at least in Denmark. There is an urgent need for research on how to effectively recruit youth to cessation services, and what works to help youth quit.

Impact of Smoking Status and Nicotine Dependence on Academic Performance of Health Sciences Students

Background

Smoking behavior has been associated with poor academic performance among adult students worldwide. However, the detrimental effect of nicotine dependence on several students' academic achievement indicators is still unclear. This study aims to assess the impact of smoking status and nicotine dependence on grade point average (GPA), absenteeism rate and academic warnings among undergraduate health sciences students in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A validated cross-sectional survey was conducted, in which, participants responded to questions evaluated cigarette consumption, urge to consume and dependency, learning performance, days of absentees, and academic warnings.

Results

A total of 501 students from different health specialties have completed the survey. Of whom, 66% were male, 95% ranging between the age of 18-30 years old, and 81% reported no health issues or chronic diseases. Current smokers estimated to be 30% of the respondents, of which 36% revealed smoking history of 2-3 years. The prevalence of nicotine dependency (high to extremely high) was 50%. Overall, smokers had significantly lower GPA, higher absenteeism rate, and higher number of academic warnings when compared to nonsmokers (p<0.001). Heavy smokers demonstrated significantly less GPA (p=0.036), higher days of absences (p=0.017), and more academic warnings (p=0.021) compared to light smokers. The linear regression model indicated a significant association between smoking history (increased pack-per-year) and poor GPA (p=0.01) and increased number of academic warning last semester (p=0.01), while increased cigarette consumption was substantially linked with higher academic warnings (p=0.002), lower GPA (p=0.01), and higher absenteeism rate for last semester (p=0.01).

Conclusion

Smoking status and nicotine dependence were predictive of worsening academic performance, including lower GPA, higher absenteeism rate and academic warnings. In addition, there is a substantial and unfavorable dose-response association between smoking history and cigarette consumption with impaired academic performance indicators.

Tobacco and electronic cigarette smoking among in-school adolescents in Vietnam between 2013 and 2019: prevalence and associated factors

BACKGROUND

Smoking among adolescents in schools is a major global public health concern. There is limited evidence regarding prevalence and associated factors in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the prevalence of smoking and associated factors among in-school adolescents aged 13-17 years in Vietnam between 2013 and 2019.

METHODS

Data were collected from two rounds of the national representative Vietnam Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2013 (n = 3,331) and 2019 (n = 7,690). Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with tobacco and electronic cigarette smoking among in-school adolescents.

RESULTS

There was a significant reduction in the prevalence of current smoking (water pipes and cigarettes) from 5.4% (95% CI: 4.0-7.2) in 2013 to 2.8% (95% CI: 2.2-3.6) in 2019. In 2019, 2.6% of the in-school adolescents reported having used electronic cigarette products 30 days prior to the survey. Factors associated with a significantly higher likelihood of current smoking status included gender, loneliness, suicidal ideation, sexual activity, truancy, and alcohol consumption. Similar patterns were observed for e-cigarettes.

CONCLUSION

Smoking among in-school adolescents in Vietnam decreased between 2013 and 2019. Follow-up studies are needed to further investigate causal factors so that future policies and communication programmes can be more effectively targeted to reduce smoking in adolescents.

Association between adolescent smoking and subsequent college completion by parent education - A national longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Educational attainment is a social determinant of health associated with better quality of life and health outcomes. Current understanding of the association between adolescent smoking and college completion is limited. This study examined the association between adolescent smoking and subsequent college completion and how it varied by parent education in a longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents followed into young adulthood.

METHODS

Data were collected annually from a nationally representative cohort of 10th graders who participated in the NEXT Generation Health Study (2009 -2017; N = 1407). Participants reported if they smoked during 10th-12th grades (2009-2013). Self-report college completion was assessed in 2017. Parent reported their educational attainment at baseline. Weighted logistic regression models were used to assess the association between adolescent smoking during 10th-12th grades and subsequent college completion in the entire sample and stratified by parent educational attainment, adjusting for demographics, depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and parental monitoring.

RESULTS

Overall, adolescents who smoked during 10th-12th grade had lower odds of subsequently completing college compared to those who did not smoke (AOR=0.33, 95%CI=0.20-0.57). This association was stronger among those whose parents had ≤high school education (AOR=0.08, 95% CI=0.02-0.31) and some college education (AOR=0.18, 95%CI=0.08-0.39).

DISCUSSION

Adolescents from lower educational attainment households showed disproportionately stronger association between adolescent smoking and subsequent college completion. Future research needs to determine whether and how strategies to reduce adolescent smoking may promote educational attainment especially among adolescents whose parents have less than a college education.

Increased smoking and e-cigarette use among Irish teenagers: a new threat to Tobacco Free Ireland 2025

Tobacco Free Ireland is an Irish Government policy which demands that the prevalence of tobacco smoking in Ireland be less than 5% by 2025. From 1995 to 2015, teen smoking decreased from 41% in 1995 to 13.1% in 2015, and SimSmoke modelling suggested that the 5% 2025 target was achievable in this group [1]. But, in 2019, current smoking (smoked in the past 30 days) increased overall from 13.1% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2019, with the increase being greater in boys than girls (16.2% versus 12.8%) [2]. This threatens the Tobacco Free Ireland endgame. Here, we draw on data from two waves (2015 and 2019) of the Irish ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) to analyse the use of tobacco products by teenagers and offer an explanation for the change.

Smoking prevalence decreased in Irish teenagers in all ESPAD survey waves from 1995 until 2015. However, in ESPAD 2019, current teen smoking and e-cigarette use increased, threatening Ireland's 5% prevalence tobacco endgame strategy.https://bit.ly/3yXVAyN

The Role of Parental Involvement in Cigarette Smoking among Adolescents in Nepal

Limited studies have examined the role of a parent's involvement in their child's daily life as it relates to cigarette smoking among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We examined the role of parental involvement with current smoking among 6,105 adolescents using a nationally representative sample from the 2015- 2016 Global School-based Students Health Survey in Nepal. Using the adolescents' perceptions of daily parental involvement, a composite variable was created to include parents (a) checking to see if the child's homework was done, (b) understanding the child's problems and worries, and (c) knowing what the child was doing with their free time. Our analysis utilized a multiple logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) accounting for significant covariates. Overall, an increase in parental involvement was associated with a 15% less (aOR = 0.86) likelihood of their child smoking. Additionally, being 15 years or older (aOR =1.55), being bullied (aOR =1.72), drinking alcohol (aOR =20.63), and having missed school without permission (aOR =2.29) were all associated with cigarette smoking. Further, girls were almost 70% less (aOR = 0.33) likely to be cigarette smokers than boys. Future longitudinal studies should examine parental involvement as a protective factor against cigarette smoking.

Addictions in Spanish College Students in Confinement Times: Preventive and Social Perspective

Diverse studies have shown that a significant percentage of the Spanish university population suffers from different addictions. They are both a personal and public health problem if there is not a greater awareness of the risks involved and if the appropriate prevention measures are not taken, among them educational ones. In this context, a descriptive and explanatory cross-sectional study was conducted during the first half of June 2020, coinciding with the period of confinement that occurred in Spain during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that this is such an exceptional time, the main objective of this study was to obtain information especially on students’ substance consumption and possible addictions at this time. Knowing the specific situation of this problem in that specific situation may allow for comparative studies in the future. The sample was composed of 310 university students from 14 Spanish universities. The instrument used in the research was the ASSIST questionnaire, developed by the WHO for the detection of alcohol, tobacco, and substance consumption. As result, a moderate and high risk was observed mainly in the following substances: alcohol (36.2%), tobacco (33.2%), cannabis (22.9%), and sedatives (10.3%). Through the logistic regression of the set of drugs, it has been proven that, on the one hand, the addiction to cocaine and sedatives in the family environment and age, on the other hand, are the main predictive variables of drug consumption. The existence of polysubstance abuse was also determined. These data show the need for educational bodies and university institutions to promote awareness, sensitization, and health education programs to deal with this important problem, especially in extraordinary situations, such as the one referred to, which could increase this consumption.

Socioeconomic Status, Parental Education, School Connectedness and Individual Socio-Cultural Resources in Vulnerability for Drug Use among Students

Background and Aims: Families who live in a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation frequently face substandard housing, unsafe neighborhoods, inadequate schools and more stress in their daily lives than more affluent families, with a host of psychological and developmental consequences that can hinder their children’s development in many ways. However, the measurement of socioeconomic status among youth and its link with different forms of illicit substance use is challenging and still unclear. This paper extends existing research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and illicit drug use among adolescents by focusing on three different patterns of use (experimental, episodic and frequent) and making use of two indicators to improve the measurement of individual socioeconomic characteristics in a big sample of European students. Methods: Data were drawn from the European school Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), which, since 1995, collects comparable data among 15-to-16-year-old students to monitor trends in drug use and other risk behaviors across Europe. The sample comes from 28 countries that participated in the 2015 data collection. The consumption of cannabis, cocaine and heroin are considered, and the related patterns are identified based on the frequency of use. Family characteristics at student level are defined through two dimensions: parental educational level and perceived socioeconomic status. Multivariate multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was performed in order to measure the association between individual characteristics and vulnerability for drug use. Results: Some patterns of use, episodic and frequent in particular, were found strongly associated with a lower socioeconomic status and lower parental education. Conclusions: Our results suggest that drug policies should be combined with actions aimed at removing barriers to social inclusion that are attributable to the socioeconomic background of adolescents.