The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health
Building capacity for a tobacco-free world
July 12-15, 2006, Washington, DC, USA
Objective: Empirical data reveals tobacco smoking is high among youths. This may be due to renewed marketing by industries and “ elitist toga smoking depicts”. Out of school youth are an often left out group. The study is to determine the factors responsible for tobacco smoking and knowledge of ETS among these youth, and determine its effect among them
Methods: A cross sectional community based survey of out of school youths, and shop apprentices at Agodi gate, an inner city terminus with market stalls, 173 youths were interviewed using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire
Results: : 64.7% claimed to have ever smoked. A higher majority of males 73.4% had ever smoked as against females 17.8%. Reasons for smoking were friends 44.3%, “its cool I see it on T.V” 18.2%, family members smoke 6.2%, everyone smokes at the terminus 11.4%. Pressure from friends was statistically significant P<0.002 X2 5.6. 56% of the females that smoke started after they got to the terminus. P<0.042. Male respondents commenced smoking at age 15yrs ± SD 6.2 21% of current smokers take at least 2 packs daily. 41% former smokers stopped on their own, 13% because they developed chest cramps/cough. 84% felt that ETS can not harm others that don't smoke. 42% of the smokers know it causes lung cancer but don't believe they can develop the disease. Tobacco smoking is prevalent among out of school youths. They have minimal education about its medical consequences. Anti tobacco campaigns should be carried out among these vulnerable groups.