Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42081527›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2026

Prevalence and associated factors of adolescent tobacco use in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Findings from nationwide survey.

Ashfaq Ahmad Shah Bukhari, Yasmin Alaa El-Din Ali Youssef, B K Manjunatha Goud, Naseer K Almaliky, Isra'a M Essa, Taghreed Mohammed Alghaith, Mukhammadali Buriyev, Doniyor Umarov, Mukhayya Djumaniyazova, Majid Mqbel Alkhalaf and 8 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Ashfaq Ahmad Shah BukhariDepartment of Physiology, RAK College of Medical Sciences, Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Yasmin Alaa El-Din Ali YoussefDepartment of Sociology, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1610-2138
B K Manjunatha GoudDepartment of Biochemistry, RAKCOMS, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Naseer K AlmalikyDepartment of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Wasit, Wasit, Iraq.
Isra'a M EssaDepartment of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Basrah, Basra, Iraq.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7379-7503
Taghreed Mohammed AlghaithPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mukhammadali BuriyevDepartment of Medicine, Termez University of Economics and Service, Termez, Uzbekistan.
Doniyor UmarovDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Ma'mun University, Urgench, Uzbekistan.
Mukhayya DjumaniyazovaDepartment of Pedagogy and Psychology, Urganch State University, Urgench, Uzbekistan.
Majid Mqbel AlkhalafPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah Nasser AlmulhimPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Saleh AlbeshriPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Shaima Baker AlsultanPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Yousef Abdullah AlbalawiMinistry of Health, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4248-3659
Rham Abdulhadi AlamriPublic Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulilah AlqarnyMinistry of Health, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7131-1660
Mouhammed SleiayFaculty of Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syria.
Mahmoud M AliNabarouh Health Affairs Directorate, Ministry of Health and Population, Dakahlia Governorate, Nabarouh, Egypt.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6173-1876

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tobacco use remains a critical public health issue in Saudi Arabia, where tobacco-related illnesses are a leading cause of preventable mortality. This study assessed the prevalence and associated factors of tobacco use among Saudi adolescents using data from the 2022 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). A total of 5,610 students aged 13-15 years were analyzed. The overall tobacco use prevalence was 12.8% (n = 682), with higher rates among older adolescents and males. The main adjusted factors associated with current tobacco use were: male sex (adjusted OR = 1.531, 95% CI: 1.298-1.806, p < 0.001); having close friends who smoke tobacco, compared with none of them smoking (some of them: adjusted OR = 3.553, 95% CI: 2.892-4.363, p < 0.001; most of them: adjusted OR = 3.740, 95% CI: 2.597-5.386, p < 0.001; all of them: adjusted OR = 12.235, 95% CI: 6.951-21.534, p < 0.001); and perceiving tobacco use as "more attractive" (adjusted OR = 1.399, 95% CI: 1.090-1.795, p = 0.008), whereas perceiving tobacco use as "less attractive" was associated with lower odds (adjusted OR = 0.686, 95% CI: 0.563-0.836, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions such as school-based prevention programs, parental education initiatives, peer-led anti-tobacco activities, and campaigns by health authorities, including the Public Health Authority (Weqaya), to correct misconceptions about the social appeal of tobacco use and strengthen tobacco control efforts among youth in Saudi Arabia.

Identifiers

PMID42081527
PMCPMC13138639

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.