Pattern of tobacco usage among the secondary school students in Qom

Background: Tobacco use, including smoking, chewing or inhaling any type of tobacco product is increasing worldwide, especially in adolescents and high school students.

Objectives: To assess pattern of tobacco use in the first and second grade high school students in Qom.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 823 first and second grade secondary education students in Qom in 2019. Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analysed using independent t-test and Chi square.

Results: Overall 43.6% of students had tobacco use experience and 22.1% were currently using tobacco. Students who had ever smoked cigarettes were 42.1%. Boys were more likely than girls to have ever smoked cigarettes. Current tobacco smokers were 20.2% and current smokers of other tobacco, such as water pipes, were 14.9%.

Conclusions: Overall prevalence of tobacco use in the current study in high school students of Iran was high. The most commonly used tobacco among respondents was smoked tobacco other than cigarette, like water pipes. Age was found to be an independent predictor of tobacco use among students.

Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2021; 50(3): 430-435