LAUSR

INTRODUCTION Adolescents exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of morbidity. This is one of the main preventable public health problems in Latin America. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke at home and out-of-home, in school adolescents from Tunja-Colombia. METHODOLOGY This cross-sectional study included 1100 school students, aged between 11 and 19 years. The information was obtained using a self-administered and totally anonymous questionnaire. For the analysis, the proportions of everyday exposure and the mean number of days of exposure to second-hand smoke during a regular week were estimated. For the associations, ordinal logistic regression and negative binomial regression models were performed. RESULTS The average age of the participants was 14.5 years, with the majority (59%) being female. As regards second-hand tobacco smoke exposure at home, an everyday prevalence of 4.9% was found, from 1 to 6 days of 14.7%, with a mean exposure of 0.7 days (SD 1.7). Additionally, there was a higher prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke out-of-home: every day 8%, from 1 to 6 days of 34.1%, with a mean exposure of 1.5 days (SD 2.2). CONCLUSION The prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke in adolescents of Tunja was high. Interventions at school and family level are recommended to counteract this problem.