Background:
The aim was to analyze the association between tobacco smoking and the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, in Croatian schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15.

Methods:
The data of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) research conducted in Croatia in spring of 2022. The sample included 2411 boys and 2589 girls. Pearson Chi-Square was used.

Results:
Frequency of smoking among the youth increases with age. While the negative COVID-19 impact didn't vary among boys, older girls reported a higher impact. Among 11-year-olds, 6.6% of boys with negative COVID-19 impact on mental health smoked in the last 30 days, alongside 1.6% of boys with neutral/positive COVID-19 impact (p=0,001). The same goes for 2,0% of girls with negative and 0.7% of girls with neutral/positive COVID19 impact on mental health (p=0,171). Among 13-year-old boys, 9,9% with negative and 6,2% with neutral/positive COVID-19 impact on mental health smoked in the last 30 days (p=0.119). In the same age group, 12,7% of girls with negative and 5,5% of girls with neutral/positive COVID-19 impact on mental health smoked in the last 30 days (p<0,001). 32.4% of boys with negative and 22.3% of boys with neutral/positive COVID-19 impact on mental health, aged 15, smoked in the last 30 days (p=0.015). Meanwhile, 38.1% of girls with negative and 20,4% of girls with neutral/positive COVID-19 impact on public health, aged 15, also reported smoking at least once in the last 30 days (p<0,001).

Conclusion:
There was an increase in tobacco use in 2022. While 11- year-old boys smoke more frequently than girls, the difference disappears with age, with 15- year-old girls notably smoking tobacco almost more frequently than boys. Cigarette smoking is associated with perceived negative COVID impact on mental health in boys aged 11 and 15, and girls aged 13 and 15.