El Salvador

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

FACT SHEET • • • • • • • • 

The El Salvador GYTS was a school-based survey of students in grades 7, 8 and 9 conducted in 2003.

A two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for all of El Salvador.  At the first stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to enrollment size.  At the second stage, classes were randomly selected and all students in selected classes were eligible to participate.  The school response rate was 50%, the student response rate was 88.5%, and the overall response rate was 44.2%.  A total of 2,283 students participated in the El Salvador GYTS.

Prevalence

34.8% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Boys = 45.1%, Girls = 27.4%)

19.4% currently use any tobacco product (Boys = 25.1%, Girls = 15.3%)

14.2% currently smoke cigarettes (Boys = 18.8%, Girls = 11.3%)

8.4% currently use other tobacco products (Boys = 10.5%, Girls = 6.5%)

11.5% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

23.6% think boys and 13.9% think girls who smoke have more friends

10.3% think boys and 7.4% think girls who smoke look more attractive

18.2% usually smoke at home

34.1% buy cigarettes in a store

84.1% who bought cigarettes in a store were NOT refused purchase because of their age

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

16.1% live in homes where others smoke in their presence

39.3% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

87.8% think smoking should be banned from public places

72.9% think smoke from others is harmful to them

20.7% have one or more parents who smoke

12.1% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation - Current Smokers

97.1% want to stop smoking

74.0% tried to stop smoking during the past year

74.9% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

79.9% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

85.6% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

88.3% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

9.4% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

11.1% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

59.9% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

36.9% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

57.1% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

Highlights

• 19.4% of students currently use any form of tobacco; 14.2% currently smoke cigarettes; 8.4% currently use some other form of tobacco.

• ETS exposure indicates that – almost 2 in 10 students live in homes where others smoke in their presence; almost 4 in 10 are exposed to smoke in public places; 2 in 10 have parents who smoke.

• 7 in 10 students think smoke from others is harmful to them.

• Almost 9 in 10 students think smoking in public places should be banned.

• Over 9 in 10 smokers want to quit.

•  Almost 8 in 10 students saw anti-smoking media messages in the past 30 days; Over 8 in 10 students saw pro-cigarette ads in the past 30 days.