孩子们是什么时候开始吸烟的?

孩子们是什么时候开始吸烟的?

Cigarette smoking may be declining worldwide, but tobacco use is still responsible for the deaths of about 6 million people globally each year, according to the World Health Organization.

世界卫生组织的数据显示，全球吸烟人数可能正在下降，但使用烟草仍是导致全球每年约600万人死亡的原因。

For most, tobacco use probably started in childhood. So, at what age do most people start smoking?

对大多数人来说，童年可能就开始吸烟了。那么，大多数人在什么年龄开始吸烟呢?

In the United States and much of Europe, research suggests that lighting up typically begins between 15 and 16 years old.

在美国和欧洲大部分地区，研究表明，人们通常从15岁到16岁开始吸烟。

In the US, 15.3 was the average age when adult smokers reported smoking initiation, according to a 2014 surgeon general's report. The data in the report came from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in which adults who had ever smoked cigarettes daily were asked about their first experiences with smoking.

2014年卫生局局长的一份报告显示，在美国，成年吸烟者开始吸烟的平均年龄是15.3岁。报告中的数据来自2012年全国药物使用和健康调查，在调查中，每天都吸烟的成年人被问及他们第一次吸烟的经历。

Across European countries, the rates of smoking initiation peaked at 16 among boys and 15 among girls in the 2000s, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday.

周三发表在《公共科学图书馆》杂志上的一项研究显示，在21世纪头十年里，欧洲国家的男性吸烟率最高曾达到16岁，女性为15岁。

Girls might start smoking earlier than boys because they might mature earlier, said Alessandro Marcon, first author of the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostics and Public Health at the University of Verona in Italy.

该研究的第一作者、意大利维罗纳大学诊断与公共卫生系助理教授亚历山德罗·马尔孔说，女孩可能比男孩更早开始吸烟，因为她们可能更早成熟。

"Puberty may widen the gap between physical and social maturity at young ages, leading to bad behaviours like smoking that are maybe perceived to be 'adult,' " he wrote in an email.

他在一封电子邮件中写道:“青春期可能会在年轻时拉大生理和社会成熟之间的差距，导致不良行为，比如吸烟，这可能被认为是‘成年人’的行为。”

The study, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program.

这项研究由欧盟的“地平线2020”项目资助。

Using those data, the researchers examined trends in smoking between 1970 and 2009. They classified their findings into four regions: North Europe, which included Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom;

利用这些数据，研究人员调查了1970年至2009年间的吸烟趋势。他们将研究结果分为四个地区:北欧，包括丹麦、芬兰、冰岛、挪威、瑞典和英国;

East Europe, which included Estonia, Macedonia and Poland; South Europe, which included Italy, Portugal and Spain; and West Europe, which included Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

东欧，包括爱沙尼亚、马其顿和波兰;南欧：包括意大利、葡萄牙和西班牙;还有西欧，包括比利时、法国、德国、荷兰和瑞士。

Among those who ever smoked for as long as a year, the researchers found that smoking initiation rates were highest during late adolescence.

研究人员发现，在那些吸烟长达一年的人当中，青少年后期的吸烟率最高。

Around 2005, initiation rates during late adolescence were lowest in boys and girls in North Europe, with 20 smoking initiations per 1,000 teens each year, and the highest rates were in boys from South Europe, with 80 initiations per 1,000 teens each year.

2005年左右，北欧的男孩和女孩的青春期晚期吸烟率最低，每年每1，000名青少年中有20名吸烟者，其中南欧男孩的吸烟率最高，每年每1，000名青少年中有80名吸烟者。

"It was not surprising to see the lowest rates of smoking initiation in North European countries, which are at the forefront of tobacco control policies and research on smoking," Marcon said.

马尔孔说:“北欧国家的吸烟率最低，这并不奇怪。北欧国家在烟草控制政策和吸烟研究方面处于前沿。”

The researchers found that smoking initiation rates among older teens dropped substantially between 1970 and 2009 across Europe, except in South Europe, where the decline leveled off after 1990.

研究人员发现，从1970年到2009年，欧洲各地年龄较大的青少年的吸烟率大幅下降，只有南欧例外，那里的吸烟率在1990年后趋于平稳。

The researchers also found that a marked increase was observed after 1990 in smoking initiation among early adolescent boys and girls, 11 to 15 years old, in all European regions, except among boys in North Europe.

研究人员还发现，1990年以后，除北欧的男孩和女孩外，所有欧洲地区11岁至15岁的青少年中开始吸烟的人数显著增加。

"We were quite surprised for the marked increase in smoking initiation in young adolescents," Marcon said.

马尔孔说:“我们对青少年开始吸烟的显著增加感到非常惊讶。”

The study had some limitations, including that multiple random samples of people from various studies were used, which may not be representative of all of Europe. Also, there was no distinction between the use of boxed cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes or electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes.

这项研究有一些局限性，包括使用了来自不同研究的多个随机样本，这可能不能代表整个欧洲。此外，使用盒装香烟、手卷香烟或电子烟(也称为电子烟)之间没有区别。