Tobacco use among students aged 13-15 years--Philippines, 2000 and 2003.

Tobacco use is one of the major preventable causes of premature death and disease in the world. A disproportionate share of the global tobacco burden falls on developing countries, where an estimated 84% of the world's 1.3 billion current smokers live. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), part of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC, was developed to monitor youth tobacco use, attitudes about tobacco, and exposure to tobacco smoke, and has been completed by approximately 1.4 million students in 133 countries. A key goal of GTSS is for countries to conduct the GYTS every 4 years. This report presents findings from the GYTS conducted in the Philippines in 2000 and 2003, which revealed substantial declines in the proportions of students aged 13-15 years who currently smoked cigarettes, currently used other tobacco products, were likely to start smoking in the next year, or were exposed to secondhand smoke in public places. The findings also indicated an increase in the proportion of students who supported bans on smoking in public places, had learned about the dangers of tobacco use in school, and had seen antitobacco messages in media and advertising. Public health authorities in the Philippines should evaluate their current tobacco-control programs and enhance or expand them to further reduce youth smoking.