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Give Up Cigarettes!

25 February, 00:00

According to results from a poll conducted among Ukrainians aged 10 to 22, 40% of teenagers aged 10 to 14 have tried to smoke at least once. The poll was conducted by the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research and Social Monitoring Center as part of the Youth for Health Ukrainian-Canadian joint project. Half of the respondents claim that they did it even before they were 10. Among those aged 15 to 22, 80% have smoking experience. Also remarkable is the number of those polled in both age groups (33% and 68%, correspondingly) that called themselves smokers. Roughly speaking, the very first attempt to smoke a cigarette became the start of developing this bad habit. The only silver lining to this cloud is the fact that, according to the research data, only 0.7% teenagers and 2% young people aged from 15 to 22 smoke more than one pack a day. The main reason non-smoking young people gave for their choice was “threat to their health” — 71% in both age groups

Over 20,000 stores in 170 Ukrainian cities were involved last year in the program to prevent selling cigarettes to underage persons, The Day was told at the Public Council on Social Problems of the Young Generation charity organization. This initiative, already three years old, includes a rather interesting experiment, registering all attempts from underage children to buy cigarettes. Unfortunately, so far in most cases, these attempts are successful. However, the public consciousness of trade workers is gradually increasing: while in 2001, only 14% of store managers refused to sell cigarettes to underage children, last year 44% of them said a firm ‘No’. However, these results were registered at 265 legal trade points, while nobody can estimate the “generosity” of the numerous illegal traders selling smuggled cigarettes on the streets. So who is to blame for the teenagers’ smoking? A poll conducted by the Public Council among 1000 persons aged 30 to 45 revealed that 31% of those polled consider the state is guilty in selling cigarettes to teenagers, 25% blame trade organizations, and 20% tobacco companies. Interesting that nobody believes smokers themselves or their parents to be guilty in neglecting their health. Recall that it is prohibited by law to sell cigarettes to underage persons. And the right for a healthy way of life is a personal choice for anybody.

Author

Petro Izhyk

Newspaper output №:

№7, (2003)

Section

Day After Day