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Positive development Teenagers drink and smoke less
According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) study, young people in Europe today smoke and drink less than a few years ago. However, it also turned out that teenagers are getting worse and worse. The unhealthy habits at this age can negatively affect the entire life course.
Teenagers rarely use alcohol and tobacco
Studies in recent years in Germany showed: The number of young smokers has dropped significantly and young people drink less alcohol. This positive development has now been confirmed on an international level. As the news agency dpa reports, teenagers in Europe and North America increasingly less likely to alcohol and cigarettes. However, they often feed too badly and are too fat. This is the conclusion of a new study presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Brussels on Tuesday.
World Health Organization reports: Young people in Europe smoke and drink less and less. (Picture: Osterland / fotolia.com) Data from over 40 countries evaluated
The WHO evaluated data from approximately 220,000 adolescents from 42 countries for the study. It has been shown that the consumption of alcohol and tobacco among 11- to 15-year-olds has fallen significantly since 2010. According to the figures, girls in particular have consumed tobacco less often in recent years. While in 2010, 22 percent of all 15-year-old girls were smoking for the first time at the age of 13, in 2014 they were only 13 percent. The number of boys dropped less, from 26 to 22 percent. In terms of alcohol consumption, it looked similar: While in 2010, 21 percent of all 15-year-olds surveyed said they drank alcohol every week, in 2014 the figure was only 13 percent.
Higher taxation was effective
"The number of people who smoke and drink every week has halved over the past decade," said WHO study author Jo Inchley. However, there were obvious differences between the individual countries. The figures for Germany were in the middle of the more than 40 countries and regions examined, both for tobacco and for alcohol consumption. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are states in Europe where young people are particularly likely to use alcohol and cigarettes. WHO experts attribute the continued decline in alcohol consumption to the higher taxation of so-called "alcopops". The German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) had referred years ago to the positive effects of the price increases of "Alkopops" when they had generally demanded higher alcohol prices.
Low social status a health disadvantage
According to the WHO study, the proportion of fuming and drinking adolescents was generally higher for financially disadvantaged families. A low social status proves to be a major disadvantage for the health anyway. For example, a report by the Hamburg Department of Health and Consumer Protection (BGM) a few months ago showed that although children today are healthier than they were ten years ago, socially disadvantaged children and children with a migrant background were more likely to show signs of health problems.
Poor diet and lack of exercise
Of concern, according to WHO experts, are the relatively high numbers of overweight individuals, as well as poor diet and physical activity in adolescents in the countries studied. It is said that on average only about 29 percent of all boys aged 15 years eat fruit daily. According to the same-age girls, this figure is 37 percent. Obesity and obesity are more common in boys than in girls. "Health-related behaviors and social habits and attitudes acquired in a key second decade of life for a young person can continue as adults and affect the rest of their lives," said WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab. The development of positive health-related behaviors is extremely important. (Ad)