Smoking increases among teenagers in eastern Europe
BMJ 2002; 324 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7335.442 (Published 23 February 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;324:442
Twenty nine per cent of 15-16 year olds in eastern Europe now smoke—a slight increase since the mid-1990s—compared with 26% in western Europe, where the rate in this age group is roughly stable.
Among teenagers aged 15-18, the prevalence of smoking across Europe is 30% and is “a well established behaviour” with “almost no signs of a decrease,” said the World Health Organization.
Heavy marketing in eastern Europe since the mid-1990s has encouraged more girls to smoke, the WHO said, whereas the prevalence of smoking in boys has stayed roughly constant. Tobacco companies claim that their advertising targets only adults, a claim dismissed by antismoking campaigners.
Countries that have seen an increase in smoking among young people since the mid-1990s include Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
The European Report on Tobacco Control Policy 1997-2001 is available at http://www.euro.who.int/document/tob/tobconf2002/edoc8.pdf
