site.btaSome 26.6% of Students Aged 13-15 Use Tobacco Products, 2023 Survey Shows

A total of 26.6% of students use tobacco products, including heated ones, according to a survey conducted by the National Center of Public Health and Analyses (NCPHA) in 2023 and presented Tuesday at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia.

The survey was conducted among 4,074 students in grades 7, 8 and 9 who completed a questionnaire, with 3,378 of the students aged 13-15. 

A total of 23.6% of the pupils smoke some form of tobacco and 19.8% use conventional cigarettes. The data also showed that 20.5% of students use heated tobacco products and 2.9% smokeless tobacco. 

Tobacco use continues to be problematic. The use of e-cigarettes and vapes exceeds the use of cigarettes. The rate of nicotine packet use is also a concern. One in eight boys and one in ten girls aged 13-15 use them, summarized survey results NCPHA's chief expert Anina Chileva. 

The data also shows: 23.3% of students use e-cigarettes; 10.7% use nicotine packets; 54.7% have been exposed to tobacco smoke at home; 62.7% have been exposed to tobacco smoke in public places. 

Another aspect of the study relates to the availability, advertising and promotion of tobacco and tobacco products. According to the survey results, 46.2% of students who currently smoke cigarettes have purchased them from a shop, supermarket, kiosk or booth. Of the students who smoked, a total of 63.7% were not prevented from purchasing them due to their age. More than three in 10 students have noticed anti-smoking messages in the media, and six in 10 have seen advertisements or promotions for such products, the data show. 

The percentage of pupils who have received information about the harms of smoking at school is falling. The percentage of students who have seen anti-smoking messages in the media is decreasing. The percentage of students with negative attitudes towards tobacco use is also decreasing, summarised Anina Chileva. 

NCPHA experts Sofia Kandilarova, Mirela Strandzheva and Ralitsa Berdarova participated in the presentation of the data. 

This is the fourth data collection for Bulgaria under the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), conducted in 2023 with the support of the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA (CDC Atlanta, USA).