Prevalence of smoking among Bulgarian university students—a narrative review

Introduction: The health of students is an important and necessary resource for their realization as current and future parents, professionals, and forms the health profile of the nation. Smoking is the health-damaging risk behavior that is most prevalent and extensively studied among university student populations globally.Aim: The aim of this review is to examine the prevalence of smoking among Bulgarian university students.Materials and Methods: Scientific publications were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar with the keywords: Bulgarian university students, tobacco smoking, health behavior, in Bulgarian and English language. Criteria for selecting articles in the review have been established.Results: Eleven publications were included in the review. The results indicate a high prevalence of smoking among Bulgarian university students (37.0–53.7%) above the average levels reported by international studies, especially among women (46.0–52.1%), as well as initiation of smoking at school age.