{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T17:12:35Z","timestamp":1772212355810,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772150400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Despite a decline observed in smoking rates amongst adults in many high-income countries, tobacco usage among adolescents remains a significant concern, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania being no exception. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the prevalence of smoking among teenagers enrolled in several public schools in Bucharest and the surrounding county, Ilfov, while also exploring their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences regarding tobacco. Methods: A public health campaign, conducted in collaboration with multiple institutions between September 2023 and March 2024, sought to provide secondary school students with updated information on smoking and its implications through presentations at schools. Following these presentations, students voluntarily completed anonymous on-paper questionnaires consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions designed to gauge their knowledge and attitudes towards smoking, conceptually inspired by internationally validated instruments such as the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Results: A total of 945 teenagers participated in our study, with a median age of 13.04 years (standard deviation of \u00b11.08). Results indicate that 22.85% (n = 216) of teenagers had attempted smoking at the time of the investigation. Additionally, 57.88% (n = 547) of respondents reported exposure to second-hand smoke at home, and 40.42% (n = 382) had been invited to smoke previously. Conclusions: Various factors influence smoking behaviors among teenagers, with peer pressure and familial background playing significant roles in shaping their attitudes toward smoking. Our study highlights the vulnerability of the young Romanian population to these influences, emphasizing the need for initiatives aimed at mitigating tobacco use and fostering a healthier future environment. Nonetheless, these findings shall serve as an instrument for the development of school-based prevention programs and stricter tobacco usage policies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15051819","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T15:52:38Z","timestamp":1772207558000},"page":"1819","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Role of Family and Peer Influence in Shaping Teen Smoking Attitudes in Romania"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7420-7594","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana-Luiza","family":"Iorga","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7986-8731","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioana","family":"Munteanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Beatrice","family":"Catrangiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3878-4088","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrei \u0218erban","family":"Zanfirescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, 050663 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4908-5610","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mihai Octavian","family":"Dan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Florin-Dumitru","family":"Mih\u0103l\u021ban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, 1050 Brussels, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Drago\u0219","family":"B\u0103iceanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonela","family":"Dragomir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Simona","family":"P\u00e2rvu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"National Institute of Public Health, 050463 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5127-5774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioana-M\u0103d\u0103lina","family":"Mo\u015fteanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-8949-1508","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandra","family":"Paraschiv","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Raluca","family":"Bobocea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-8409-5904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mara Amalia","family":"B\u0103lteanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Oana-Andreea","family":"Parli\u0163eanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Radu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Ilfov County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 022104 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alina","family":"Croitoru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cMarius Nasta\u201d Institute of Pneumology, 050159 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, 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