#IDIBELLfellows: Ayaka Teshima

Trends in smoking initiation in 28 European countries from 1940 to 2020.
Ayaka Teshima – Tobacco control research Group

In the European Union, one in five young people aged 15 to 24 is a current smoker, with over half of smokers establishing regular smoking habits by the age of 18. Early smoking initiation is an important predictor of lifetime tobacco and nicotine use and the burden of associated health risks. Evidence on the long-term historical trends of smoking initiation across the EU remains scarce. Our current study sought to examine trends in the initiation rates of regular smoking in the EU over the last 80 years.