Smoking Cessation and Its Associated Factors among Adolescents Aged 13-15 Years Old in Vietnam: Findings from GYTS 2022

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze smoking cessation and its associated factors among adolescents aged 13-15 years in Vietnam. METHODS: The present study used data from the Vietnamese Global Youth Tobacco Survey in 2022 and consisted of 454 adolescents aged 13-15 years old. Smoking cessation was defined as having not smoked in the past 30 days. A multivariable logistic regression model was conducted to identify the factors associated with smoking cessation among those adolescents. RESULTS: Among the participants, 76.9% had achieved smoking cessation, and the main type of tobacco smoked was cigarettes (84.5%). Factors significantly associated with smoking cessation included peer smoking, parental smoking status, tobacco-related knowledge, and exposure to anti-smoking information. Adolescents with only one smoking parent were more likely to quit than those whose parents did not smoke (OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.39-4.43). Similarly, greater tobacco knowledge (OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.30-3.83) and exposure to anti-smoking messages from two or more sources (OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.05-5.92) were positively associated with cessation. In contrast, adolescents with smoking friends had a significantly lower likelihood of cessation (OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.14-0.69). CONCLUSION: Economic status, peer influence, parental smoking, and cognitive factors namely tobacco-related knowledge and exposure to anti-smoking information were key determinants of smoking cessation among Vietnamese adolescents, with notable gender differences. These findings suggest the need for comprehensive tobacco control programs that address these factors to more effectively reduce smoking rates among this population.