More than half of teenagers have tried alcohol and one in five has recently smoked electronic cigarettes, the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today, in a report on habits health.Alcohol is the most consumed substance among young people: 57 percent of 15-year-old teenagers have already tried it and 37 percent have consumed it in the last month, while one in 10 admits to having gotten drunk at least twice in their life, a percentage ranging from 5 percent at age 13 to an “alarming” 15 percent at age 15. “These findings highlight how standard and available alcohol is, showing the urgent need for better measures to protect children and young people from the harm caused” by it consumption, says WHO-Europe, which covers 57 countries, including Russia and several former Soviet republics. The study highlights that electronic cigarettes have surpassed conventional cigarettes in popularity: 32 percent of 15-year-olds have used them at some point and 20 percent used them in the last 30 days, numbers that drop to 25 percent and 15 percent, respectively, in conventional cigarettes. This trend is mainly observed from the age of 13 onwards: while 11 percent have smoked at some time and 5 percent have smoked in the last month, in the case of cigarettes electronic cigarettes the percentage increases to 16 percent and 9 percent, respectively. The WHO warns that this “transition” to electronic cigarettes as the most popular choice requires specific actions, including their appearance in video games, entertainment programs and other content for young people through multimedia platforms.The report also confirms that the gender gap in substance use has been reduced “rapidly” and that 15-year-old girls equal or surpass boys in tobacco, alcohol and electronic cigarettes.Cannabis use, however , shows a slight decrease: the percentage of young people under 15 who tried it fell from 14 to 12 percent, between 2018 and 2022. (RM-NM) Source: Rádio Moçambique Online
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