Quit attempts and cessation support among youth smokers in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 Global Youth Tobacco Survey

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco use among adolescents continues to pose a major public-health challenge in Saudi Arabia. Despite national prevention efforts and declining smoking rates, many youths remain vulnerable to nicotine addiction and experimentation with emerging products such as shisha and e-cigarettes. Understanding factors that influence quit attempts and cessation awareness is essential to guide effective school- and community-based tobacco-control interventions. This study assessed the prevalence of quit attempts and identified behavioral and environmental correlates of cessation motivation among Saudi youth using data from the 2022 Global Youth Tobacco Survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 6983 students aged 11-17 years who participated in the 2022 Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Weighted analyses described tobacco-use patterns and cessation behaviors. Chi-squared tests examined bivariate relationships, while multivariable logistic regression identified independent factors associated with quit attempts, including adjusting for age, sex, parental and peer smoking, and media exposure. Significance was defined as p