18th April 2008
ASH Scotland has welcomed the publication today [Friday 18th April 2008] of the Scottish report on the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey 2006. Commenting on the findings, ASH Scotland’s Chief Executive Sheila Duffy said:
“The figures released today show the results of questionnaires filled out by Scottish children in 2006, so it is too early to see if the rise of the cigarette purchase age-limit to 18 has made a difference to our children’s access to cigarettes.
“It is clear we have a huge number of young smokers in Scotland, and that all the work to promote health in schools is not yet making enough of a difference. Today’s figures show that by age 15, half of young people have tried smoking. Smoking rates among young people rose starkly in the 1990s, and although they dropped at the turn of the century, they have remained at the same level since 2002 – particularly high for girls. 28% of 15 year old girls now smoke, compared with 23% in 1990.
“We must tackle this epidemic head-on. The long-term health effects of childhood smoking are well-known – for example someone who starts smoking at 15 is five times more likely to get lung cancer than someone who starts smoking at 24 (and fifteen times more likely than a non-smoker). These results show that health education on its own is not enough. ASH Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to take bold steps to prevent a new generation getting hooked on tobacco. We need to see speedy progress towards a positive licensing scheme, where retailers who sell tobacco products must apply for a straightforward licence. Any retailers found selling cigarettes to children could then have their licence suspended.
“Our polling shows that 89% of Scots would support this measure. It would be much more effective, and less bureaucratic, than the under-used current system of prosecution and fines for retailers who break the law.
“We need to see radical action to tackle the marketing of cigarettes at point of sale. We know that young people respond strongly to branding. The Scottish Government must set out what steps it will take to minimise the attractiveness and availability of cigarettes to children.”
ENDS
For further information please contact ASH Scotland on 0131 225 4725.
Sheila Duffy is available for interview.
Notes for editors
1. ASH Scotland is the leading Scottish charity campaigning for effective tobacco control.
2. The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children report is published by the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh as part of a World Health Organisation cross-national study. The report is available at http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/cahru/ from 18 April.
3. Polling figures stated are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,100 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th - 22nd February 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+).
How strongly, if at all, would you support or oppose the following measures…?
Requiring businesses to have a valid licence to sell tobacco which can be removed if they are caught selling to underage smokers
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Strongly support |
65 |
|---|---|
|
Tend to support |
24 |
|
Neither support nor oppose |
7 |
|
Tend to oppose |
2 |
|
Strongly oppose |
2 |
|
Don't know |
1 |
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