Smoking rates among teens continue to decline

The number of teenagers who smoke is continuing to decline, according to an Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey.

The survey, which has been conducted annually since 1997, asked year 10 students about their smoking habits.

Results in 2005 showed 16.8 per cent of year 10 teenagers said they smoked, down from 17.6 per cent in 2004, and 28.6 per cent in 1999.

Teenagers who had never even had one puff increased from 47 per cent in 2004 to 49.4 per cent in 2005.

However, girls are more likely to be smokers than boys, with 20.4 per cent of girls (21.2 per cent in 2004) and 12.9 per cent of boys (13.8 per cent in 2004) smoking on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

For the first time, smoking rates in girls at lower decile schools dropped.

ASH director Becky Freeman said the results were "fantastic".

"Every year we notice a downward trend in the numbers of teenagers taking up smoking.

"It is fantastic to see that the gap between the smoking rates in different socio-economic groups is getting smaller.

"We are reaching children and teenagers in communities that have a higher percentage of smoking than others.

"The tobacco companies have long portrayed smoking as a cool and grown-up behaviour, and we are pleased that teenagers are joining the fight against this unethical industry by not smoking."

The survey also showed teenagers whose parents did not smoke were less likely to smoke themselves, compared to those whose parents smoked.

"The daily smoking of students coming from homes where both parents were smokers was 25.1 per cent. This amount is nearly halved to 11.2 per cent where only one parent smoked, and only 4.3 per cent of students who smoked came from homes where neither parent smoked," Ms Freeman said.

"Parents express concern that there is little they can do to stop their children from taking up smoking. The survey clearly shows that parents do play a major part in teenagers not taking up smoking.

"If you are a parent who is worried about your child taking up smoking, and you smoke, the best thing you could do for your child's health and wellbeing is to quit."

Waitemata District Health Board (DHB) region has the lowest daily, weekly or monthly smoking rate in the country at 11 per cent, and Southland DHB region has the highest daily, weekly or monthly smoking rate in the country at 24.4 per cent.

- NZPA