THE MAIN TRENDS OF TOBACCO SMOKING AMONG RUSSIAN TEENAGERS FOR 20 YEARS OF THE XXI CENTURY

Introduction. To this day, the problem of tobacco smoking among the population remains relevant throughout the world. Since the majority of smokers (about 90%) acquire this habit before the age of 18, WHO believes that special attention should be paid to protecting the younger generation from smoking and the harmful effects of tobacco. For this, it is necessary to conduct research to study the behavior of school-age children. Aim. The aim is to identify the main trends of tobacco smoking among urban teenagers-schoolchildren in the Russian Federation for the period from 1999-2000, 2010-2011 and 2019-2020. Material and methods. A sample of adolescents in each subject of the Russian Federation was formed by multi-stage selection with alternating typological, random and continuous examination. In 1999-2000, 12912 urban teenagers were interviewed, of which 5939 boys and 6973 girls, in 2010-2011 - 15323, of which 6961 boys and 8362 girls, in 2019-2020 - 14084 teenagers, of which 6535 boys and 7549 girls. Statistical development of materials was carried out using the computer program "Risk factors". The Pearson criterion 2 was used to calculate the statistical significance of the differences in indicators. Results and discussion. During the period under review, the prevalence of smoking and daily smoking tended to decrease, both among boys (4.5 times) and among girls (3.2 times). At the same time, if the prevalence of boys who smoked over girls also decreased and by 2019-2020 the proportion of boys and girls who smoked was equal, then among teenagers who smoked daily, the proportion of boys remained, as before, higher than the proportion of girls (1,2 times). The proportion of teenagers who smoked for reasons of emerging addiction ("like", "out of habit", "I can't quit") tended to increase, both among boys and girls. During the period under review, the motive of the first smoking test "curiosity", both boys and girls, retained its primacy. The age interval for introducing urban teenagers- schoolchildren to tobacco smoking has not changed either (from 10 years to 17 years inclusive). However, the "peak" of initiation to smoking in boys moved from the age range up to 10 years inclusive in 1999-2000 and, starting from 2010-2011. and in 2019-2020, for the age range of 13-14 years, for girls, the age range of 13-14 years retained its position as the "peak" of initiation to smoking. Conclusion. A comparative analysis showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of smoking among urban teenage schoolchildren in the Russian Federation.