Introduction To assess the prevalence of smoking and its associated factors among high-school students in Tirana, Albania.

Methods An anonymous questionnaire survey was carried out among 797 high-school students (63% females) in Tirana, the Albanian capital city, 2010. The questionnaire included socio-demographic data and information on smoking habits of students, their family members and their closed friends. Pearson's χ² test was used to assess the difference in prevalence rates of smoking between students from different subgroups.

Results The overall prevalence of daily smoking was 14.9% (95% Cl 12.5% to 17.6%). It was 24.3% in males vs 9.4% in females (p<0.001). Other “predictors” of smoking were low academic performance (p<0.001), having smoking friends (p=0.001), and having smoking parents (p=0.001).

Conclusions Smoking habits among high-school students in Albania, resemble the patterns reported in other countries. Given the high smoking rate among adults, there is an urgent need to implement an effective tobacco control law in Albania.