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Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Trinidad & Tobago

Fact Sheet • • • • • • • •

The Trinidad & Tobago GYTS includes data on prevalence of cigarette and other tobacco use as well as information on five determinants of tobacco use: access/availability and price, environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS), cessation, media and advertising, and school curriculum. These determinants are components Trinidad & Tobago could include in a comprehensive tobacco control program. The Trinidad & Tobago GYTS was a school-based survey of students in forms 1-4 conducted in 2007.
A two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for Trinidad & Tobago. 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 100%, the student response rate was 74.5%, and the overall response rate was 74.5%. A total of 2,841 students participated in the Trinidad & Tobago GYTS.

Prevalence

37.4% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Male = 40.9%, Female = 32.2%)

22.3% currently use any tobacco product (Male = 25.2%, Female = 18.8%)

14.4% currently smoke cigarettes (Male = 17.1%, Female = 11.3%)

11.2% currently use other tobacco products (Male = 12.4%, Female = 9.5%)

13.4% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

31.6% think boys and 16.0% think girls who smoke have more friends

10.4% think boys and 5.8% think girls who smoke look more attractive

Access and Availability - Current Smokers

41.8% usually smoke at home

28.1% buy cigarettes in a store

72.9% who bought cigarettes in a store were NOT refused purchase because of their age

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

40.7% live in homes where others smoke in their presence

64.0% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

78.4% think smoking should be banned from public places

75.6% think smoke from others is harmful to them

33.3% have one or more parents who smoke

7.9% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation - Current Smokers

72.2% want to stop smoking

74.8% tried to stop smoking during the past year

71.8% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

85.8% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

74.6% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

69.3% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

13.9% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

7.4% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

45.1% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

27.6% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

42.1% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

Highlights

  • Nearly one-quarter of students currently use any form of tobacco; 14.4% of the students currently smoke cigarettes; 11.2% currently use some other form of tobacco.
  • ETS exposure is high—4 in 10 students live in homes where others smoke, and 64% of the students are exposed to smoke around others outside of the home; one-third of the students have a parent who smokes, and over 1 in 12 students have friends who smoke.
  • Three-quarters of students think smoke from others is harmful to them.
  • Over 70% of the current smokers want to stop smoking.
  • Over 7% of students were offered a free cigarette by a tobacco company representative.
  • 86% of the students saw anti-smoking media messages in the past 30 days; 75% students saw pro-cigarette ads in the past 30 days.

For additional information, please E-mail:
tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov

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Page last reviewed 06/27/2007
Page last modified 06/27/2007