Association of tobacco control policies with cigarette smoking among school youth aged 13-15 years in the Philippines, 2000-2015

INTRODUCTION

In 2003, the Philippines implemented legislation that prohibited the sale of tobacco products to youth, placed text warning labels on tobacco products, and prohibited tobacco smoking in public places. This study assessed if this legislation was associated with reduced cigarette smoking among youth.

METHODS

Data came from the 2000–2015 Philippines Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of students aged 13–15 years. GYTS data were used to determine associations between tobacco control legislation and current, past 30-day, current cigarette smoking (CCS). Logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, current other tobacco product use (COTPU), and price per cigarette stick (PPCS).

RESULTS

In the unadjusted model, the 2003 legislation was not associated with CCS (OR=0.77; 95% CI: 0.54–1.10). After adjusting for covariates, it was negatively associated (AOR=0.65; 95% CI: 0.53–0.80). Being 15 years old (OR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.08–1.58), male (OR=2.54; 95% CI: 2.17–2.98), and COTPU (OR=4.12; 95% CI: 3.47–4.91) were positively associated with CCS in unadjusted models. In adjusted models, being 14 years old (AOR=1.29; 95% CI: 1.08–1.53), 15 years old (AOR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.31–1.84), male (AOR=2.49; 95% CI: 2.13–2.91), and COTPU (AOR=3.96; 95% CI: 3.32–4.73), were associated with CCS. PPCS was not associated with CCS in either the unadjusted (OR=1.32; 95% CI: 0.82–2.11) or adjusted (AOR=1.32; 95% CI: 0.79–2.18) models.

CONCLUSIONS

After adjusting for covariates, the 2003 tobacco control legislation was associated with lower current cigarette smoking, but price per cigarette stick was not.

Risk factors of excessive body mass in children and adolescents in Łódź

Background

Obesity and cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders are an increasingly common problem worldwide, also in the developmental age population. Inhibiting this process requires identifying risk factors that can be modified.

Objective

The aim of the study was to identify the conditions of the occurrence of overweight and obesity in the Lodz youth at school age.

Materials and methods

The survey was conducted in 2008-2012 among school students attending primary and secondary schools in the four districts of Lodz (city in Poland). The study involved 622 students aged 12-18: 309 girls (49.7%) and 313 boys (50.3%). The BMI index was calculated based on anthropometric measurements (mass, body height) and was interpreted on the basis of centile charts of Lodz children (overweight ≥ 85-95 centile; obese ≥ 95 centile). Youth health behaviors were analyzed based on a questionnaire of an original interview modeled on the HBSC (Health Behavior in School-aged Children) study. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis (single- and multi-factorial logistic regression analysis).

Results

An excess of body weight was found in 23.5% of the examined youth. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the factors significantly affecting the occurrence of overweight or obesity were: non-eating dinner (daily or sometimes, OR = 1.98); not eating fruit and vegetables every day (OR = 1.57), multi-hour passive relaxation time (use of TV, Internet, OR = 3.08) and low physical activity (OR = 1.76).

Conclusions

Intensive promotion of a healthy lifestyle - increasing the awareness and knowledge of schoolchildren, encouraging proper eating habits and active leisure activities - can significantly affect the reduction of obesity risk factors. Health education is required at school for children, as well as for parents and teachers.

Sexting and high sexual risk-taking behaviours among school youth in northern Ethiopia: estimating using prevalence ratio

BACKGROUND

Increasing access to digital technology to young people in low-income settings has greatly influenced their porngraphy viewing and sexting, receiving and/or sending of sexual explicit materials via electronic devices. These change the sexual communication and behaviour of the young population. However, evidence to attest this change is not available in our setting. Thus, this study examined the relationship of high sexual risk-taking behaviour with sexting and pornography viewing among school youth in Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2015 by selecting school youth using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a pre-validated anonymous facilitator-guided self-administered questionnaire. Poisson regression was run to calculate adjusted prevalence ratio with its 95% confidence intervals. All differences were considered as significant for p values ≤0.05.

RESULTS

In total, 5924 questionnaires were distributed, and 5306 (89.57%) school youth responded in full to questions related to outcome variables. Of these respondents, 1220 (22.99%; 95% CI 19.45 to 26.96) were involved in high sexual risk-taking behaviour; 1769 (33.37%; 95% CI 30.52 to 36.35) had experienced sexting and 2679 (50.26%; 95% CI 46.92 to 53.61) were viewing pornography. The proportion of high sexual risk-taking behaviour was three-fold among pornography viewers (adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) 95% CI 3.02 (2.52 to 3.62)) and two-fold among sexters (APR 95% CI 2.48 (1.88 to 3.27)) as compared with their counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to sexually explicit materials via communication technology is associated with increased high sexual risk-taking behaviour among school youth in northern Ethiopia. Considering these emerged predictors of sexual behaviours in our sexual education programmes, further research in this area is essential.

Struggling with growing bodies within silence and denial: Perspectives of HIV and AIDS among youth in Rural Zimbabwe

Concerns regarding HIV and AIDS were elicited from 546 school youth (51% female, age range 9-25 years) in a Zimbabwean rural district, through a self-generated question writing process. Concerns emerged around how to avoid infection at a time when they were undergoing secondary sexual development, had growing feelings for love and were even engaging in sexual activity, but had limited access to preventive methods due to denial by the adult world. Fears were expressed regarding how to tell one's HIV status, even just after sex. HIV and AIDS were visualised in terms of suffering, loneliness, quarantine and death. The youth stressed they would have difficulties communicating with other people should they suspect or find they are infected with HIV, as this would imply they had been sexually active. They seemed to have knowledge around HIV and AIDS that either was incomplete, or they could not apply given a context of silence and denial around their sexuality. Some of the knowledge was coloured with misconceptions, suggesting contradictory information from multiple sources. After more than two decades, the scenario portrayed raises questions about interventions targeting young people. The question is why is their situation in this state when several stakeholders are actively participating in debates and interventions around their well-being? Campaigns and interventions may need to consider young people's complex social contexts, the factors generating and sustaining their situation, and what role diverse actors and social change processes play in this.