By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN - Nearly one-third of students at UNRWA-administered schools in Jordan use tobacco products, according to a survey released on Monday.

According to the UN’s “Global Youth Tobacco Survey”, 12.7 per cent of UNRWA students in Jordan smoke cigarettes, while 13.2 per cent use other forms of tobacco.

Nearly one in five students smoke argileh, 25.4 per cent of boys and 12.9 per cent of girls, according to the study, which was conducted by the UN agency in 20 UNRWA schools across the Kingdom.

The study, which surveyed 1,500 students between the ages 13 and 15, aimed to determine the prevalence of tobacco use at UNRWA schools across the region, Ali Khader, chief of health protection and promotion at UNRWA in Amman, told The Jordan Times yesterday.

According to the survey’s findings, UNWRA students are subjected to “very high” amounts of secondhand smoke, with more than six out of 10 students living in homes where others smoke in their presence and almost two-thirds exposed to smoke in public places.

More than half of surveyed students have parents who smoke, the report stated.

The study also indicated that 32.8 per cent of male students and 22.5 per cent of females believe that those who smoke have more friends, while 29.6 per cent of boys and 22.1 per cent of girls said people who smoke look more attractive.

Approximately 74.2 per cent of UNRWA students who said they smoke expressed a desire to quit smoking, 74.9 per cent had tried to quit smoking over the past year, while 82.4 per cent have received help to kick the habit, according to the study.

To combat the prevalence of tobacco use among UNRWA students, the study recommended establishing a network grouping UNRWA, the World Health Organisation, the Ministry of Health and NGOs, to develop a three-year action plan.