Prevalence of current tobacco use among adolescents (13-15 years) (percentage)
Rationale for use
The risk of chronic diseases starts early in childhood and such behaviour continues into adulthood. Tobacco is an addictive substance and smoking often starts in adolescence, before the development of risk perception. By the time the risk to health is recognized, addicted individuals find it difficult to stop tobacco use.
Definition
The prevalence of tobacco use (including smoking and the use of oral tobacco and snuff) among 13–15-year-olds on more than one occasion in the 30 days preceding the survey.
Data sources
Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) and Global School Health Survey (GSHS). GYTS started in 1999 and is ongoing. Few countries have repeated surveys. This is a school-based self-administered questionnaire.
Methods of estimation
The estimates are prevalence values, weighted to represent the population for which data were collected.
Disaggregation
By sex.
References
-
WHO/CDC Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)
Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008 -
Global school-based student health survey (GSHS)
Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008
Database
Comments
Some of the surveys were conducted in small subnational populations and therefore may not accurately reflect the national picture.