ESPAD study. Relative decline in smoking among young Europeans

School-based study ESPAD has been carried out since 1995 in collaboration with the European Union and focuses on drug use among young people: tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs, to which the use of electronic cigarettes was added in the latest survey. This survey, carried out in 2019, involved nearly 100,000 young people aged 15 to 16 from 35 countries on the European continent and highlights a reduction in tobacco consumption[1].

The study report provides information on the perceived availability of drugs by young people, the initiation to these substances and the assessment of the consumption of these different drugs in these age groups.

Perceived availability of substances is an indirect measure of how easy or difficult it is for students to obtain a particular drug (cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs). Despite strict tobacco regulations in most countries, on average, 60% of high school students in participating countries reported that they found it “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain cigarettes if they wanted them.

Average number of non-smokers up, but significant differences between countries

Positive trends are observed in adolescent smoking across all dimensions (experimentation, use in the last 30 days and daily use). Nearly 60% of respondents (range: 85% in Iceland to 42% in Slovakia. For France: 55%) reported never having smoked, while one in five students (range: 5% in Iceland to 32% in Bulgaria and Romania. For France: 22%) reported being a daily smoker. The proportion of students who started smoking daily at an early age (before the age of 13) has decreased very sharply since 1995, from 10% to 3% (range: less than 1% in the Netherlands to 6% in Slovakia. For France: 2.6%). Daily smoking, including early onset, continues to be more prevalent among boys, but the gender gap continues to narrow as does smoking overall.

Despite a positive evolution since 1995 Where only about 3 in 10 European students reported never having smoked and 34% were regular smokers, young Europeans nevertheless continue to smoke massively compared to other regions and huge disparities remain between countries.

Regarding the electronic cigarette, the study indicates that on average, 40% of students have already tried the electronic cigarette and 14% are regular consumers with significant differences depending on the country (5% for Serbia and 41% in Monaco). In France, almost one in two students has already tried vaping and 16% are regular consumers. Note that almost a quarter of European students who have tried the electronic cigarette were non-smokers.

A decline explained by political measures to combat tobacco

The downward trend in smoking is the result of policy measures adopted in recent decades. Among the most relevant provisions for young people are bans on sales to minors, provided they are enforced, a ban on all tobacco advertising and an increase in taxes.

A recent study[2] based on European ESPAD data 2007-2015, comparing European countries that had or had not implemented a ban on point-of-sale advertising, concluded that the implementation of these regulations was associated with a greater decrease in regular smoking among young people.

Keywords: Survey, ESPAD, Europe, smoking, young people ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] EMCDDA and ESPAD (2019), ESPAD Report 2019 — Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, EMCDDA–ESPAD joint publications, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. [2] Van Hurck MM, Nuyts PAW, Monshouwer K, Kunst AE, Kuipers MAG. Impact of removing point-of-sale tobacco displays on smoking behavior among adolescents in Europe: a quasi-experimental study. Tobacco Control. 2019 Jul;28(4):401-408. DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054271. National Committee Against Smoking |