[Exposure to second-hand smoke in school adolescents from Tunja (Colombia), 2017]

Adolescents exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of morbidity. This is one of the main preventable public health problems in Latin America.

To determine the prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke at home and out-of-home, in school adolescents from Tunja-Colombia.

This cross-sectional study included 1100 school students, aged between 11 and 19 years. The information was obtained using a self-administered and totally anonymous questionnaire. For the analysis, the proportions of everyday exposure and the mean number of days of exposure to second-hand smoke during a regular week were estimated. For the associations, ordinal logistic regression and negative binomial regression models were performed.

The average age of the participants was 14.5 years, with the majority (59%) being female. As regards second-hand tobacco smoke exposure at home, an everyday prevalence of 4.9% was found, from 1 to 6 days of 14.7%, with a mean exposure of 0.7 days (SD 1.7). Additionally, there was a higher prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke out-of-home: every day 8%, from 1 to 6 days of 34.1%, with a mean exposure of 1.5 days (SD 2.2).

The prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke in adolescents of Tunja was high. Interventions at school and family level are recommended to counteract this problem.