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Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Bahamas

Fact Sheet • • • • • • • •

The Bahamas 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 the Bahamas could include in a comprehensive tobacco control program.

The Bahamas GYTS was a school-based survey of students in grades 8-11, conducted in 2000.

A two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for all of the Bahamas. 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 92.0%, the student response rate was 75.2%, and the overall response rate was 69.2%. A total of 1698 students participated in the Bahamas GYTS.


Prevalence

30.9% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Male = 33.6%, Female = 27.5%)

18.6% currently use any tobacco product (Male = 22.5%, Female =14.3%)

7.8% currently smoke cigarettes (Male = 9.0%, Female = 6.0%)

14.3% currently use other tobacco products (Male = 17.4%, Female =11.0%)

15.8% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

35.8% think boys and 15.7% think girls who smoke have more friends

8.5% think boys and 5.3% think girls who smoke look more attractive

Access and Availability - Current Smokers

36.5% usually smoke at home

21.6% buy cigarettes in a store

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

28.9% live in homes where others smoke

51.4% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

63.9% think smoking should be banned from public places

63.5% think smoke from others is harmful to them

6.7% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation - Current Smokers

75.2% want to stop smoking

77.3% tried to stop smoking during the past year

71.1% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

81.2% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

63.2% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

62.8% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

15.3% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

10.8% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

51.3% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

37.6% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

47.9% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

Highlights

  • 19% of students currently use any form of tobacco; 8% currently smoke cigarettes; 14% currently use other tobacco products.
  • ETS exposure is high - 3 in 10 students live in homes where others smoke, and half are exposed to smoke in public places.
  • 6 in 10 students think smoke from others is harmful to them.
  • 6 in 10 students think smoking in public places should be banned.
  • Almost 8 in 10 smokers want to stop.
  • Over 8 in 10 students saw anti-smoking media messages in the past 30 days; 6 in 10 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 04/04/2008
Page last modified 04/04/2008