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. 2022 Nov 4;22(1):2022.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14416-x.

Surveillance of tobacco use among young adolescents: trends and predictors across three years in Sousse, Tunisia

Nawel Zammit  1   2 , Jihene Maatoug  3   4 , Rim Ghammam  3   4 , Sihem Ben Fredj  3   4 , Wafa Dhouib  5 , Imen Ayouni  5 , Amani Maatouk  5 , Waad Ben Belgacem  5 , Mohamed Ouertani  5 , Hassen Ghannem  3   4
Affiliations

Surveillance of tobacco use among young adolescents: trends and predictors across three years in Sousse, Tunisia

Nawel Zammit et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: In developed countries, there was an overall decrease in tobacco use over the last decades. In Tunisia, a national strategy to reduce tobacco use was set up since 2008. However, this strategy was rarely evaluated. The objective of the current study was to examine the trends in tobacco use among the middle schoolchildren of the governorate of Sousse (Tunisia) between 2014 and 2016 and to determine predictors of its experimentation.

Methods: Three cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 school years among middle schoolchildren randomly selected from the governorate of Sousse-Tunisia. The required sample size for each study was 760 participants. Each year, the same procedure was used to recruit pupils from the same middle schools. The same pre-established and pre-tested questionnaire was self-administered anonymously to participants in their classrooms.

Results: Lifetime tobacco use rose from 11% in 2014 to 17.3% in 2016 (p = 0.001). Across the 3 years of survey, predictors of lifetime tobacco use were: The male sex (OR, 95% CI: 4.4 [3.2-6.1]), age above 13 (OR, 95% CI: 2.3 [1.7-3.1]), lifetime illicit substances use (OR, 95% CI: 3.9 [1.1- 13.8), lifetime inhalant products use (OR, 95% CI: 2.2 [1.2-4.3]), tobacco use among the father (OR, 95% CI: 2.2 [1.2-4.3]), tobacco use among siblings (OR, 95% CI: 1.7 [1.2-2.4]) and current anxiety symptoms (OR, 95% CI: 1.8 [1.4-2.4]).

Conclusion: Lifetime tobacco use is in expansion among the young adolescents of Sousse. The current national tobacco prevention program should be strengthened and expanded to cover other substances use issues with emphasis on secondhand smoking and mental health problems.

Keywords: Adolescent; Epidemiological monitoring; Tobacco use.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evolution of lifetime tobacco use between 2014 and 2016 among the participants according to their sex
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Evolution of lifetime tobacco use between 2014 and 2016 among the participants according to their age
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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