SCDHB

South Canterbury year 10 students are among the least likely in New Zealand to be daily or regular smokers.

That’s according to the recently released ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Year 10 Snapshot Survey.

The annual ASH survey shows an improving trend over the past 10 years among local 14 and15-year-olds (year 10) regarding smoking habits.

Just 3.3 percent of South Canterbury 14 and 15-year-olds describe themselves as daily smokers, the second-lowest percentage in New Zealand. Back in 1999 this figure was 13.6 percent.

Nationally, 5.6 percent of 14 and 15-year-olds describe themselves as daily smokers. In 1999 it was 15.6 percent.

Also in the recent survey, 9.4 percent of South Canterbury year 10 students said they smoked either daily, weekly or monthly – or ‘regularly’ in the survey’s terminology. This figure was fourth-lowest nationally and compares to a national average of 10.9 percent.

Leola Ryder, Smokefree Health Promotion Advisor in South Canterbury, is pleased with the figures and believes they are the result of changes in legislation, tax rises, clever anti-smoking marketing and local efforts to support schools with smokefree and smoking outside the home messages.

“Anything that affects the smoking behaviour of adults will also affect the smoking of youth, for good or bad.  There’s been a culmination of efforts over the past several years - smokefree pubs and clubs, workplace legislation and recent tax increases, that make it more difficult, inconvenient and expensive to smoke. And I think we’re seeing the results from some really clever marketing targeted at young people through their peers – the “Smoking’s Not Our Future” campaign – that is helping turn the tide of how young people view smoking from ‘cool’ to ‘uncool’,” she says.

Leola Ryder says local smokefree health promotion efforts have focused on under five-year-olds with messages about not smoking inside the home or car complementing the standard ‘don’t smoke’ messages.

One aim, smokefree playgrounds, has been successful in Waimate. “The South Canterbury Smokefree Committee worked closely with the Waimate Youth Council on a joint submission to the local council, with the result that Waimate playgrounds are now smokefree. It was very satisfying seeing young people take on the role of smokefree ambassadors and be such great role models for other kids.”

Ms. Ryder also supports schools that are keen to address smokefree issues through the South Canterbury DHB’s WAVE programme

The figures below are taken from the ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey. All figures are percentages, except for the Total Sample.

Table 14: Smoking, Parental Smoking and Smoking in the home by 14-15 year old boys and girls by District Health Board 1999-2009

For more information contact:

Arlene Goss

Communications Advisor

Ph 03 684 1395

027 276 4259