P-102 - Smoking and Nicotine Dependence Among Youth

Abstract

Today of one of the most actual medico-social problems of a modern society the wide circulation of smoking among youth is. A research purpose is study prevalence and intensity of a tobacco smoking and tobacco dependence among youth.

Material and methods used

It is spent research of 2500 students of higher educational institutions and 650 schoolboys in Donetsk and Kyiv with smoking questionnaire and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence.

Results

The research was established that 15,4% of teenagers at the age from 12 till 16 years tried to smoke and 7,2% - smoke regularly.

Among pupils of 10–11 classes average degree of nicotinic dependence was diagnosed for 21,8% of young smokers, high degree - at 10,3%.

Despite high prevalence of smoking among teenagers the majority of boys (65,1%) and girls (64,8%) would like to refuse this bad habit and 77,4% from them tried to make it within last year.

Among student's youth smoke 57,8%. Weak dependence is found out in 32,7% person, moderated - at 49,5% and strong - at 12,3% of students. The reasons of occurrence of a habit to a tobacco smoking students name problems in educational activity (10,4%), curiosity (20,2%), desire to mature (22,7%), influence of the friends familiar, the nearest environment (48,4%).

Conclusions

The data obtained by us testifies to high prevalence of tobacco dependence among youth.