Tobacco Use Among Students Aged 13–15 Years— Philippines, 2000 and 2003

February 4, 2005 / Vol. 54 / No. 4

MMWR Highlights

• In 2000 and 2003, approximately 4 of 10 students aged 13–15 in the Philippines reported ever smoking cigarettes (i.e., even one or two puffs); 42.8% in 2000 and 41.9% in 2003.
• In 2000 and 2003, adolescent boys were significantly more likely than adolescent girls to have ever smoked.
• Approximately 1 of 8 students who had smoked cigarettes reported smoking their first cigarette before age 10 years; 12.9% in 2000 and 12.7% in 2003, with no significant difference between adolescent boys and girls.
• Among adolescent boys the percentage of current smokers declined by one third, from 32.6% in 2000 to 21.8%. Similarly, among adolescent girls current smokers declined from 12.9% in 2000 to 8.8 % in 2003.
• Current use of other tobacco products fell by nearly half for both adolescent boys and adolescent girls, from 18.3% in 2000 to 10.9 % in 2003 for adolescent boys and from 9.5% in 2000 to 5.7 % in 2003 for adolescent girls.
• The percentage of students who had never smoked but were likely to initiate smoking in the next year also fell by nearly half, from 26.5 % in 2000 to 13.8% in 2003.
• The percentage of students reporting exposure to secondhand smoke in public places declined from 74.6% in 2000 to 59% in 2003.
• In addition, support for bans on smoking in public places more than doubled, from 39.2% of students in 2000 to 88.7% in 2003, and the percentage of students who reported learning in school about the health hazards of tobacco use increased from 58.6% in 2000 to 68 % in 2003.
• A greater percentage (90.3%) of students reported seeing an anti-tobacco message in the media in 2003 than in 2000 (83.4%).
• The percentage of current smokers who were not refused purchase of tobacco products because of their age increased from 46.6% in 2000 to 62.8% in 2003.
• The percentage of students who reported being offered free cigarettes decreased from 17.6% in 2000 to 13.9% in 2003.
• A small but significant increase was observed in the percentage of students who reported seeing tobacco advertising on billboards (84.4 % in 2000 versus 87.6% in 2003).