Teen smoking at new low

PHIL REID/ The Dominion Post

DYING BREED: Sixteen-year-old Jayden Marshal may smoke but 66 per cent of his Wellington peers have never tried it.

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The number of teens puffing on cigarettes has dropped to a record low, an annual survey of smoking habits shows.

But the survey's author has warned that new smokefree policies are needed as the impact of existing regulations fades and the reduction in teenage smoking rates slows.

Action on Smoking and Health's Year 10 Snapshot Survey 2008 shows a record 61 per cent of year 10 pupils (14- and 15-year-olds) nationwide have never tried smoking, compared with 32 per cent in 1999, when the survey began.

In Wellington, the figure was even higher, with 66 per cent nearly two-thirds of pupils saying they had never smoked.

The number of regular teen smokers also dropped nationally to 12 per cent, from 29 per cent in 1999, while 7 per cent were smoking daily.

However, ASH researcher Janine Paynter said the rate of decline in teen smoking was "not as heart-warming" as in previous years.

There was a big drop after the introduction of the 2003 Smokefree Environments Act, which banned smoking in school grounds, hospitals, workplaces, restaurants and bars, but its impact was beginning to wear off, she said.

"We might be starting to see some difficulties now that the effect of that policy isn't so strong."

Stronger smokefree policies were needed to ensure fewer teenagers smoked.

ASH director Ben Youdan said banning cigarette displays was one option. "Getting cigarettes out of the sight of young people [shows] that smoking's not normal."

Ashley Bloomfield, the Health Ministry national director for tobacco control, said it was up to the Government to bring in tighter tobacco controls.

"We're providing briefings on those issues to the minister of health."

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said she was encouraged by the survey results but the high rates among Maori teenagers especially girls made it only "a good news story ... not a great news story".

Nearly one in three Maori girls was a regular smoker, while 22 per cent smoked daily. She would be looking into what could be done to bring those figures down.

Between 4500 and 5000 Kiwis die from smoking each year.

The ASH report surveyed 31,000 out of 61,000 year 10 pupils.

THE 16-YEAR-OLD VETERAN

At age 16, Jayden Marshal is already a seasoned smoker.

The year 11 pupil took his first drag on a cigarette when he was 10 and says he has been smoking "between 10 and 40" each day for the past two years.

He started smoking because he thought it looked cool, but is not too sure why he smokes now. "[At first] I didn't really like it but then I got into the habit. I enjoy smoking when I'm stressed or I haven't eaten."

He does not plan to give up: "I don't really care about [the effects of] smoking anymore."