Prevalence of tobacco smoking in a sample of general secondary school students in Cairo and its correlation to other psychiatric disorders

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is considered currently a global public health concern among youth especially school students. There is a scarcity of data about the impact of this global phenomenon in Middle Eastern countries. This study assesses the prevalence of tobacco smoking, including conventional cigarettes, E-cigarettes, and water pipe and its sociodemographic and psychiatric correlates among a sample of general secondary school students in Cairo, Egypt. RESULTS: A convenient sample of 391 Egyptian general secondary students from different areas of Greater Cairo were assessed using the Socioeconomic scale, Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence, The Lebanon Water pipe Dependence Scale, questionnaire for electronic cigarette use, Barratt impulsivity scale 11, and The MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents. 12.8% (n = 50) were smokers. There is a significant relation between family history of smoking and substance use and smoking and significant relation between smoking, impulsivity, and mood symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of tobacco smoking in Egyptian adolescents was 12.8% with significant relation between smoking and impulsivity and mood symptoms.