Dr. Liang Wang, Dr. Hadii Mamudu and Candice Collins Publish Editorial

Dr. Liang Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Dr. Hadii Mamudu, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services Management and Policy, along with Doctor of Public Health student Candice Collins and Dr. Youfa Wang from Ball State University, have published an editorial in Annals of Translational Medicine.

The article, entitled “High prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries”, comments on an original article published in Lancet Global Health by a team of researchers led by Dr. Bo Xi of Shandong University.

The original article, “Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in young adolescents aged 12–15 years: data from 68 low-income and middle-income countries” looked at tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 68 low and middle income countries.

Dr. Xi’s team determined that 13.6% of adolescents surveyed are current tobacco users, 55.9% were exposed to secondhand smoke, and parental use was a factor associated with tobacco use. The editorial points out that, while parental use is not a novel finding, the large differences between mothers and fathers shows there is a need for gender-based policies and programs.

The editorial also emphasizes the need to further implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the world tobacco treaty that contains evidence-based policies to reduce tobacco use among youth. These policies include the ban on sales of tobacco products to youth, increase in excise tax on tobacco products, and limited marketing of tobacco products to youth.