Tobacco survey in schools in Sardinia – Press release
Eurispes survey on tobacco use among young people in schools in Sardinia
The full report can is available online at the following link after registration at https://eurispes.eu/ricerca-rapporto/indagine-sul-tabagismo-nelle-scuole-della-sardegna-2022/
How much do Sardinian youth smoke? How much tobacco consumption or the use of electronic cigarettes are they taking over in their lifestyle? In what new forms is the phenomenon of smoking taking hold among young people? These questions were answered in the survey on the prevalence of smoking in schools in Sardinia, conducted by the Eurispes Institute among high school students on the island.
The sample of young people who took part in the survey included 1,259 teenagers from 34 different schools on the island, aged between 13 and 18. The schools, which supported the research project through the participation of their students, were located in different geographical areas of the Region and are therefore well representative of it: 5 secondary schools in the Metropolitan City of Sassari, 5 in North-East Sardinia, 4 in Nuoro, 3 in Ogliastra, 5 in Oristano, 7 in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, 2 in Medio Campidano and 3 in Sulcis-Iglesiente.
The data of the survey, carried out by Eurispes thanks to the contribution of the Regional Councillorship for Planning and Budget and in collaboration with the Regional Councillorship for Education, offer a series of useful information to define the profile of the Sardinian teenage generation.
The survey on smoking is part of a process that has already been undertaken and is currently underway, through which, in a very critical period for everyone, we wanted to take a closer look at the new generation and, in particular, at schools. The research projects on cyberbullying and smoking, and those currently underway on school drop-outs and the relationship between young people and the Internet, promoted by Eurispes, should be viewed within this overall perspective.
The Survey data should be seen in relation to previous surveys. In 2019, for example, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità estimated that 11.6 million Italians are involved in tobacco consumption. This is a significant share, as it represents 22% of the population. Within this figure, the number of female smokers has risen, and 11.1% of 14-17 year olds are smokers. Young people whose attitude to smoking and the habit of consumption can be established at an early age.
The Eurispes research shows that most of the young people in the survey sample, 49.4%, started smoking before the age of 18, while 48.7% started between the ages of 15 and 18. The majority of young people, 62.1%, started to smoke at an early age, while 29.9% of girls smoke more occasionally. It is also known about the tastes and habits of young Sardinian smokers that they not only smoke traditional cigarettes, but also cut tobacco (55%) and electronic cigarettes (23.5%).
They consume tobacco and, so to speak, also money. Not a little amount of money, if we take into account that, being mainly young people who have not yet reached legal age, they have to face a weekly expenditure that can vary from 5 to 10 euros in 31.1% of cases, from 11 to 20 euros in 17.4% of young people and more than 30 euros in 6.2% of cases. They use personal savings (33.6%) or earnings from occasional and/or seasonal work (28.1%). One student in four asks the family for help to buy a pack of cigarettes. There are also those who, albeit in a lower percentage, borrow money from friends (1.9%). It is clear from the survey that families are often aware of their children’s habits (51.7%), since they are the ones who, in at least a quarter of cases, cover their tobacco spending. It might be appropriate, then, to ask what is the adults’, i.e. the parents’, relationship towards smoking. It turns out that, according to the statements of most of the students interviewed, 56.5%, neither of their parents smokes, although a not insignificant percentage, 29.4%, of the young people acknowledged that at least one of their parents smokes at home and do so quite regularly.
The survey also wanted to ask the interviewees to indicate the reasons that prompted them to smoke their first cigarette. The main motivation was curiosity (40.3%) and, only to a lesser extent, belonging to friendship groups where someone smokes (16.4%). However, it is true that curiosity may have been fostered precisely by the contexts in which the young people spend their time. Moreover, 21.7% state that they have tried to quit at least once in their young lives. This is a sign of the awareness that what they have contracted, or are forming, may become an increasingly problematic addiction over time. Those who have tried to quit – and in this case a prevalence of girls (44,1%) – admit to having done so without succeeding. Almost all respondents showed a willingness to get rid of their addiction, except for 9.9% who were not interested in doing so at all. A further feature that emerges within the survey sample is that there are no particular differences between boys and girls in terms of their willingness or desire to quit smoking in the long term. Among girls, however, there is a greater propensity for short-term choices (32.9%).
Smoking that becomes habitual involves health risks that not all respondents are aware of. They know, in general, that it is dangerous, even when it comes to the so-called passive smoking experienced by non-smokers (45%), but this is not the case for everyone. They are aware of the bans and sanctions governing cigarette use 67% of respondents. They are also aware that smoking is not allowed at school, but 71.7% think it is okay to smoke in outdoor spaces such as gardens, yards, or courtyards. Yet, there are those who smoke even on school property (58.2%). One in five say they do it habitually, and one in two say they have received at least one complaint from school staff for breaking the rule.
They say they are generally aware of the school’s efforts to inform them about the risks of smoking. However, not everyone agrees: one in ten say they have not received any information on the issue and 32.8% say the school has never informed them about the risks and consequences of smoking.
