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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 said: "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.

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