ASH Daily News for 14/10/1999
HEADLINES
Dear all,
Once again the demands of the media have knocked back the daily news.
We will bring you a daily news as soon as we can. Please find enclosed
the Press Release.
Best wishes
Karl
Press release
For immediate release
14 October, 1999
Fall in teen smoking is good news but it’s too early to draw
conclusions
Responding to the news that smoking rates among teenagers in England
had fallen for the first time since 1988, ASH welcomed the news but
cautioned that it was too early to draw any conclusions from the data.
Amanda Sandford commented: “This is good news but we cannot afford to
be complacent. Teens are still taking up smoking in alarming numbers
despite health education campaigns and other initiatives to discourage
smoking.”
Sandford added: “Evidence shows that most campaigns aimed at reducing
children’s smoking have had a minimal impact. [1] While welcoming the
Government’s commitment to combating teenage smoking, ASH said that
health campaigns targeted at teenagers should be carefully evaluated
to monitor their impact on smoking rates.”
“The best hope for reducing smoking is through a combination of
measures. Health education campaigns alone will not be enough.
However, education initiatives combined with a ban on tobacco
advertising, a consistent rise in tobacco taxes, and further
restrictions on smoking in public places will create a climate in
which children are less likely to take up smoking.”
Notes
[1] Can young people be prevented from taking up smoking? Effective
Health Care Bulletin, 1999, vol 5(5), NHS Center for Reviews &
Dissemination, University of York.
Ends.
Contacts: Amanda Sandford: Work: 0171 739 5902, Home: 0181 257 3501
Karl Brookes: Work: 0171 739 5902 Mobile: 0589 504040 Pager: 01426
109768
Karl Brookes
Project Manager
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
Tel: +44 (0)171-739 5902
Fax: +44 (0)171-613 0531
0589504040 (Mobile)
01426109768 (Pager)
Web: http://www.ash.org.uk
991014.doc
