258876 Improving the health of current and future generations: Exploring risk and protective factors for smoking experimentation among Romanian adolescents

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Oana M. Pop, BA , Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alexandra Brinzaniuc, MA , Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Bianca Baciu, MA , Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alexandru M. Suciu , Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Razvan M. Chereches, MD PhD , Cluj School of Public Health, Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Background: Preventing the onset of tobacco consumption among youth is critical to ending the current tobacco epidemic. As any experimentation with smoking during adolescence increases the risk of subsequent regular use of tobacco, averting smoking experimentation significantly reduces adulthood smoking. Interventions targeting risk and protective factors are efficient in addressing health-risk behaviors. However, Romania lacks the necessary evidence to initiate twofold strategies aimed at preventing smoking experimentation and uptake by youth. Methods: Data was collected between March-April 2011, in 39 schools in Cluj-Napoca (n=1177), Romania, using a cross-sectional design survey, with a quantitative strategy of inquiry. A self-administered questionnaire, targeting adolescents aged 11-14, was used to measure socio-demographic, environmental, behavioral, and personal factors associated with smoking experimentation. Results: Overall, 30.4% (n=358) of adolescents experimented with smoking. Peer smoking has been identified as the strongest predictor of smoking experimentation. The likelihood of experiencing with tobacco increased twice when having one smoker friend and seven times when having three smoker friends. Smoking experimentation was further associated with having positive attitudes towards smoking and receiving promotional materials for tobacco products. High self-reported academic performance, lower social pressure to smoke and having non-smoker siblings were protective factors of smoking experimentation. Conclusions: In order to ultimately improve the health of this generation and generations to come, twofold strategies aimed at reducing risks factors and enhancing protective factors of smoking experimentation among adolescents should be implemented. In addition, efforts should be directed at enforcing Romanian tobacco control regulations regarding promotion of cigarette advertising materials to youth.

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify risk factors associated with smoking experimentation among adolescents 2. Identify protective factors associated with smoking experimentation among adolescents 3. Discuss implications for interventions aimed at preventing smoking experimentation among Romanian adolescents 4. Formulate policy alternatives designed to enforce in-place tobacco control regulations regarding promotion of cigarette advertising materials to youth.

Keywords: Tobacco, Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have previous experience in studies tacking the problem of secondhand smoke exposure in children and maternal smoking during pregnancy. My research interests include health promotion, social marketing and health communication. In addition, I was directly involved in this study’s development.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.