site.btaSurvey: 2% of Children Aged 6 to 9 Smoking Cigarettes, 3% Vaping

According to preliminary data from a survey conducted by Medical University Plovdiv, 2% of children aged between 6 and 9 smoke traditional cigarettes, with another 3% smoking electronic smoking devices, or so-called vapes. The data was presented by Dr Plamena Stoimenova on Friday for  World No Tobacco Day, May 31.

Stoimenova noted that children smoke "because it is cool", and 65% of respondents say they smoke e-cigarettes because of their aroma or taste. The first attempt at smoking among 10% of children was at the age of 6-12. Around 700 people have participated in the survey so far, which has not concluded yet. Around 300 of the participants are aged under 18, with all of them saying that they know that smoking is harmful.

Nela Vamporova, Public Health Officer at the World Health Organization office in Bulgaria, noted that Bulgaria ranks first in Europe in terms of children aged 13-15 who smoke, citing results of a 2023 study, and stressed that the results require urgent measures. No matter how much the number of smokers decreases in Europe, Bulgaria always "leads" by 10%, said Anina Chileva, chief expert at the National Centre for Public Health and Analysis. Bulgaria owes children systematic health education, instead of discussing the topic in biology and health education classes, "which are the most boring", she said.

The smoking statistics for Bulgaria are more than startling, but not enough attention is paid to the subject of passive smoking, said Elena Atanasova from UNICEF Bulgaria. According to the data, at least one parent smokes in 77% of families with young children. Young people, aged 19-25, mainly smoke traditional cigarettes, with 23% smoking vapes. In the 16-19 age group, 30% are vape smokers, while 27% smoke traditional cigarettes. According to Atanasova, changing attitudes cannot happen if children are not actively involved in thematic discussions.

Gergana Geshanova, Chair of the Smoke-Free Life Coalition, noted that children are the object of special attention from the tobacco industry, who add aromas and flavours to their products and put images of cartoon characters or make cigarettes look like candy. While smoking kills 8 million people globally every year, the tobacco industry launches misleading statements to the media, governments and science representatives, she said.

Introducing a complete ban on the advertising of tobacco products and increasing their prices are the measures that will have the greatest impact on reducing smoking, said Dr Masha Gavrailova, a member of the Smoke-Free Life Coalition. According to her, a 20% increase in the excise tax on tobacco products would be enough to reduce the use of tobacco products, as well as have revenues in the budget. The Coalition will send an open letter to the future MPs, calling on them to prioritise smoking control in their election platforms.