The Most Influencing Factors for Cigarette Smoking Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem in the world, and smoking leads to diseases and disabilities and harms nearly every organ of the body. All forms of cigarettes are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Nicotine is one of the toxic chemicals found in tobacco and can cause carcinomas. A significant number of students experimented for the first time with cigarette smoking in adolescence. Cigarette smoking during adolescence causes significant health problems, such as an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness, and potential effects on lung growth and function. The participants who smoked had poor academic performance, drank alcohol, were sexually active, and were more likely to smoke with other adolescents. This study aims to identify the most influencing factors for cigarette smoking among adolescents. This systematic review included literature from 2017 to 2022 through databases such as PUBMED, CINHAL, and MEDLINE. The review includes six studies that revealed the influencing personal, environmental, and community factors for cigarette smoking among adolescents through multivariate logistic regression and path analyses in several countries. The probability of smoking was found to be higher among adolescents with male gender, high body mass index, social anxiety, high grades, sufficient pocket money, and positive attitudes toward smoking. Peer smoking, secondhand smoking (SHS) exposure, smoker parents, free cigarettes from tobacco companies, the indigenous population, and parenting patterns were found as influencing factors to combat the threat of cigarette smoking among adolescents. To combat the threat of cigarette smoking among adolescents, gender- and culture-sensitive prevention programs are required.