Daily smoking drops dramatically among West Coast Year 10s

30 May 2012

Daily smoking drops dramatically among Year 10s

The latest Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Year 10 smoking survey shows that daily smoking rates among West Coasters aged 14-15 years have dropped massively in the last 12 years, from 22.5% to 4.3% last year.

While the decline in smoking mirrors what is happening in the rest of New Zealand and around the world it is good to see the Coast is showing the same trend, says Karen Hamilton, health promoter with West Coast Community and Public Health.

“Young people are very media-savvy and there has been increased attention on the benefits of Smokefree lifestyles. There is also greater awareness of the range of support available to assist young Coasters to move to a Smokefree lifestyle.

“These include Aukati Kaipaipa, CoastQuit, Quitline and smoking cessation support through the West Coast DHB. A Smokefree Youth Coordinator has also been appointed in the Buller to champion Smokefree lifestyles and to encourage young people to lead Smokefree lives.”

Reducing smoking is a Ministry of Health priority with one of the targets that 70% of Year 10 students will have never smoked. West Coast figures are already successfully exceeding this target at 74.5%, Karen Hamilton says.

With World Smokefree Day coming up on 31 May, Anne Hines, Chair of the West Coast Tobacco Free Coalition, says smokefree is not about banning or prohibition.

“If you have someone in your family or household who smokes and is thinking about quitting, or if you are a smoker yourself and want to discourage others from following in your footsteps, think about the things you can do to create a supportive environment. It might be as simple as creating a smokefree home and car, encouraging each other in healthy habits and choices and perhaps considering turning quitting into a team event.

“Some people quit with a friend, others know their whānau are in their corner cheering them on – you don’t have to do it alone.

“With World Smokefree Day coming up, it’s a great opportunity to join with others around the world and take a step towards a smokefree future.”

The ASH Year 10 survey has run each year since 1999. More than 32,000 students around New Zealand have taken part making it one of the largest youth smoking surveys in the world. The survey is conducted on behalf of ASH, Health Sponsorship Council and the Ministry of Health.

The number of Year 10 students around NZ in 2011 who indicated that they are daily smokers is 4.1% (a decrease from a figure of 5.5% in 2010).

West Coast data include:
• 4.3% of Year 10 students surveyed indicated that they are smoking daily.
• Almost three quarters of West Coast Year 10 students (74.5%) have never smoked
(compared with 25.7% who had never smoked in 1999).
• 5.8% of female Year 10 students smoke daily.
• 2.8% of male Year 10 students smoke daily.

More information on quitting smoking is available at www.cph.co.nz or www.westcoastpho.org.nz

The full ASH report is available to download from www.ash.org.nz

ENDS

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