Cigarette smoking
Definition
The prevalence of current cigarette smoking among young people aged 15 to 24, as reported in the New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey and New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07(1) and Census 2006(2).
Relevance
Tobacco smoking is by far the leading cause of preventable deaths in the total New Zealand population. It is a recognised risk factor for a wide range of diseases, including numerous cancers, heart disease, respiratory diseases, blindness and stroke.
Because of the addictive properties of tobacco, smoking in young people is a major influence on levels of smoking among adults. There is good evidence that the younger people begin smoking, the more likely they are to become strongly addicted to nicotine.(3) Smoking among young women is of particular concern, not only because of the impact on their own health but also potentially the impact on the health of their children. Maternal smoking is a preventable risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).(4)
Current level and trends
Note: the legal minimum age for purchasing cigarettes was raised in 1998 from 16 to 18 years. It is currently illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 in New Zealand.
Cigarette smoking in the youth age group has fallen significantly over the past thirty years. In 1976, 35 percent of young men aged 15 to 24 and 34 percent of young women aged 15 to 24 smoked cigarettes. By 2005, cigarette smoking had declined to 24 percent among young men and 31 percent among young women in the 15 to 24 age group.(5)
The 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey found that 22.8 percent of young men and 23.1 percent of young women age 15 to 24 identified as current smokers.
76 percent of young people surveyed identified themselves as non-smokers, compared with 62.1 percent in the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey.
The overwhelming majority of young people who smoke do so daily: the New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey(6)and the New Zealand Health Survey(7) both found that the ratio of daily to non-daily current smokers in the youth population was about 8 to 1.
Prevalence (%) of cigarette smoking among young people aged 15 to 24 years, by sex, selected years 1983-2006/07
Source: 1983-2005: Ministry of Health, Tobacco Trends 2006. 2006/07: New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07. Results not directly comparable between surveys.
Notes
1. National data, counting both daily and non-daily current smokers
2. Sub-national data, counting daily smokers only.
3. CDC (2006) Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People. Tobacco Fact Sheet published by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/tobacco
4. Ministry of Health (2003) Tobacco Facts 2003, p. 24.
5. ACNielsen (NZ) Ltd, reported in Ministry of Health (2006), Tobacco Trends 2006: Monitoring tobacco use in New Zealand. Wellington: Ministry of Health (Table C2).
6. Ministry of Health (2006), Tobacco Trends 2006, Table 3.
7. Ministry of Health (2008), New Zealand Health Survey 2006/07 online tables, Table CH2.
