Trend in electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in Italian adolescents, Global Youth Tobacco Smoke (GYTS), 2014, 2018

Introduction: Main aim was to describe prevalence trends in Italy, 2014-2018 of tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cig), smokeless tobacco (snuff, chewing tobacco, heated tobacco products), and to describe cigarettes and e-cig access from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Methods: GYTS is a nationally representative school-based, cross-sectional survey of students aged 13-15 years. GYTS has been carrying out in 61 countries worldwide and used a standard methodology. Ten items were selected in order to describe prevalence trends and access to tobacco cigarettes and e-cig. Results: Ever and current tobacco use in Italy non-significantly decreased from 46.4% to 41.0%, and from 23.4% to 19.8%, respectively. Ever and current e-cig users significantly increased from 28.0% to 43.5%, and from 8.4% to 17.5%, respectively. Ever and current smokeless tobacco use in 2018 were 3.4% and 1.6%, respectively. In 2018, 68.0% and 76.0% of adolescents who were current cigarette smokers or e-cig users, respectively, reported retailers did not refuse to sell them cigarettes or e-cig because of their age; 19.7% and 15.3% of current smokers reported to buy cigarettes in stores, or in vending machines, respectively. Among current e-cig users, 10.2% reported to get e-cig from specialized shops. Conclusions: From 2014 to 2018 current e-cig users doubled; in 2018, current smokeless tobacco users were 1.6%. Even though sale bans to minors were implemented in Italy for cigarettes and e-cig, about 2 out 3 tobacconists and managers of e-cig shops keep on selling their products to adolescents