孩子們是什么時候開始吸煙的?

孩子們是什么時候開始吸煙的?

Cigarette smoking may be declining worldwide, but tobacco use is still responsible for the deaths of about 6 million people globally each year, according to the World Health Organization.

世界衛(wèi)生組織的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，全球吸煙人數(shù)可能正在下降，但使用煙草仍是導(dǎo)致全球每年約600萬人死亡的原因。

For most, tobacco use probably started in childhood. So, at what age do most people start smoking?

對大多數(shù)人來說，童年可能就開始吸煙了。那么，大多數(shù)人在什么年齡開始吸煙呢?

In the United States and much of Europe, research suggests that lighting up typically begins between 15 and 16 years old.

在美國和歐洲大部分地區(qū)，研究表明，人們通常從15歲到16歲開始吸煙。

In the US, 15.3 was the average age when adult smokers reported smoking initiation, according to a 2014 surgeon general's report. The data in the report came from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in which adults who had ever smoked cigarettes daily were asked about their first experiences with smoking.

2014年衛(wèi)生局局長的一份報告顯示，在美國，成年吸煙者開始吸煙的平均年齡是15.3歲。報告中的數(shù)據(jù)來自2012年全國藥物使用和健康調(diào)查，在調(diào)查中，每天都吸煙的成年人被問及他們第一次吸煙的經(jīng)歷。

Across European countries, the rates of smoking initiation peaked at 16 among boys and 15 among girls in the 2000s, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday.

周三發(fā)表在《公共科學(xué)圖書館》雜志上的一項研究顯示，在21世紀(jì)頭十年里，歐洲國家的男性吸煙率最高曾達到16歲，女性為15歲。

Girls might start smoking earlier than boys because they might mature earlier, said Alessandro Marcon, first author of the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostics and Public Health at the University of Verona in Italy.

該研究的第一作者、意大利維羅納大學(xué)診斷與公共衛(wèi)生系助理教授亞歷山德羅·馬爾孔說，女孩可能比男孩更早開始吸煙，因為她們可能更早成熟。

"Puberty may widen the gap between physical and social maturity at young ages, leading to bad behaviours like smoking that are maybe perceived to be 'adult,' " he wrote in an email.

他在一封電子郵件中寫道:“青春期可能會在年輕時拉大生理和社會成熟之間的差距，導(dǎo)致不良行為，比如吸煙，這可能被認為是‘成年人’的行為。”

The study, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program.

這項研究由歐盟的“地平線2020”項目資助。

Using those data, the researchers examined trends in smoking between 1970 and 2009. They classified their findings into four regions: North Europe, which included Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom;

利用這些數(shù)據(jù)，研究人員調(diào)查了1970年至2009年間的吸煙趨勢。他們將研究結(jié)果分為四個地區(qū):北歐，包括丹麥、芬蘭、冰島、挪威、瑞典和英國;

East Europe, which included Estonia, Macedonia and Poland; South Europe, which included Italy, Portugal and Spain; and West Europe, which included Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

東歐，包括愛沙尼亞、馬其頓和波蘭;南歐：包括意大利、葡萄牙和西班牙;還有西歐，包括比利時、法國、德國、荷蘭和瑞士。

Among those who ever smoked for as long as a year, the researchers found that smoking initiation rates were highest during late adolescence.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在那些吸煙長達一年的人當(dāng)中，青少年后期的吸煙率最高。

Around 2005, initiation rates during late adolescence were lowest in boys and girls in North Europe, with 20 smoking initiations per 1,000 teens each year, and the highest rates were in boys from South Europe, with 80 initiations per 1,000 teens each year.

2005年左右，北歐的男孩和女孩的青春期晚期吸煙率最低，每年每1，000名青少年中有20名吸煙者，其中南歐男孩的吸煙率最高，每年每1，000名青少年中有80名吸煙者。

"It was not surprising to see the lowest rates of smoking initiation in North European countries, which are at the forefront of tobacco control policies and research on smoking," Marcon said.

馬爾孔說:“北歐國家的吸煙率最低，這并不奇怪。北歐國家在煙草控制政策和吸煙研究方面處于前沿。”

The researchers found that smoking initiation rates among older teens dropped substantially between 1970 and 2009 across Europe, except in South Europe, where the decline leveled off after 1990.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，從1970年到2009年，歐洲各地年齡較大的青少年的吸煙率大幅下降，只有南歐例外，那里的吸煙率在1990年后趨于平穩(wěn)。

The researchers also found that a marked increase was observed after 1990 in smoking initiation among early adolescent boys and girls, 11 to 15 years old, in all European regions, except among boys in North Europe.

研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)，1990年以后，除北歐的男孩和女孩外，所有歐洲地區(qū)11歲至15歲的青少年中開始吸煙的人數(shù)顯著增加。

"We were quite surprised for the marked increase in smoking initiation in young adolescents," Marcon said.

馬爾孔說:“我們對青少年開始吸煙的顯著增加感到非常驚訝。”

The study had some limitations, including that multiple random samples of people from various studies were used, which may not be representative of all of Europe. Also, there was no distinction between the use of boxed cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes or electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes.

這項研究有一些局限性，包括使用了來自不同研究的多個隨機樣本，這可能不能代表整個歐洲。此外，使用盒裝香煙、手卷香煙或電子煙(也稱為電子煙)之間沒有區(qū)別。