Survey finds tobacco use among 14.8% of students aged 13 to 15

A survey conducted among 1,000 students, aged 13 to 15, found that 14.8% of them reported current use of tobacco products, while over half of them obtained cigarettes from stores, shops or street vendors.

According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) Fact Sheet for Guyana, which was published as an advertisement in the Saturday, August 5 edition of Stabroek News, tobacco use was reported by 19% of the boys and 10.4% of the girls who were surveyed.

The Fact Sheet stated that the local GYTS was conducted in 2015 by the ministries of Public Health and Education. While a total of 1,697 eligible students in forms 1, 2 and 3 completed the survey, the data was only reported for 1,000 students aged 13 to 15.