India, April 25 -- Smoking and drinking is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada, and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to substance use, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.
Data covering all three areas revealed that more than one in two 15-year-olds experimented with alcohol, while one in five teenagers recently used e-cigarettes, the UN health agency said, in a call for urgent preventive measures.
"The widespread use of harmful substances among children in many countries across the European Region - and beyond - is a serious public health threat," said Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
"Considering that the brain continues to develop well into a ...