Comparing intact and non-intact families in terms of trends in adolescent weekly tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking (Poland: 2002-2014)

Introduction: Young people who have experienced change in the family situation tend to have more cognitive, emotional and behavioural problems than those from intact families. The aim of the study is to compare adolescents raised with both biological parents and in other families in terms of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking.


Material and methods: The data come from four rounds of the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey conducted in Poland in 2002-2014. The combined sample included 14 029 students of the first and the third grade of lower secondary schools. As the main outcome measures, weekly tobacco smoking and weekly alcohol (beer, wine or vodka) drinking were analysed. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age and gender was applied to test the significance of change between each two consecutive rounds of HBSC, separately for two types of families.


Results: The percentage of lower secondary school students from intact families decreased from 85.7% in 2002 to 75.6% in 2014. The percentage of students who smoked every week fell from 15.6% to 11.1%, and the percentage of those who drink any alcohol fell from 9.9% to 6.6%. In all four rounds of the HBSC, a significantly lower percentage of smokers was noted in adolescents living with both biological parents as compared to non-intact families. In relation to alcohol drinking, significant differences were found in the 2010 and 2014 surveys.


Conclusions: Adolescents from non-intact families are at higher risk of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. There is a need to strengthen public health interventions oriented at this type of families.