Factsheet: ASH Year 10 Survey 2005

May 15, 2006

Factsheet: ASH Year 10 Survey 2005

The report of 1999 to 2005 National Year 10 Smoking Surveys was prepared for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) by Dr Robert Scragg from the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland.

Objectives
1. Investigate trends in adolescent smoking prevalence during 1999-2005, and determine whether trends have been similar in all ethnic groups and in all District Health Board (DHB) regions
2. Investigate trends during the last 5 years (2001-2005) in parental smoking prevalence, and smoking in the home, which are both risk factors for adolescent smoking.

Methods
Annual national surveys of Year 10 students who answered an anonymous self-administered questionnaire during 1999-2005 (n=214,654).

Results
• Daily smoking prevalence continued to decline in 2005 in both girls (from 11.4% in 2004 to 10.7% in 2005) and boys (from 8.1% in 2004 to 7.2% in 2005). During 1999-2005 daily smoking declined more in boys (a 49% relative decrease from an absolute prevalence of 14.1% in 1999) than in girls (a 36% relative decrease from an absolute prevalence of 17.1% in 1999).

• Among girls, daily smoking prevalence continued to decline from 2004 to 2005 in Maori (from 29.1% to 26.5%) but changed little in Pacific, Asian and European; with the relative change during 1999-2005 being: Maori -26%, Pacific -37%, Asian -50% and European -43%. Among boys, daily smoking prevalence continued to decline from 2004 to 2005 in Maori and Pacific, changed little in European, and increased in Asian (from 3.8% to 5.3%); with the relative change during 1999-2005 being: Maori -40%, Pacific -37%, Asian -31%, and European -56%.

• Daily smoking prevalence decreased for the first time in 2005 among girls attending SES decile 1-2 schools, compared with previous years. Declines in daily smoking are now occurring in all SES deciles for both sexes, although the relative decline is greater in students attending high decile schools.

• The gap in the prevalence of never smoking widened during 2001-2005 between students from homes which do not allow inside smoking compared with those that do, indicating that student smoking patterns are improving more for those living in homes that do not allow smoking inside.

• Prevalence of daily smoking has declined in all DHBs during 1999-2005.
• Prevalence of parental smoking remained unchanged during 2001 to 2005, aside from parents of students in Auckland DHB where there was a decline independent of changes in ethnic composition, and in Otago DHB where parental smoking has increased.

• Smoking in the home declined from 30.5% in 2001 to 26.5% in 2005 (13% relative decrease). However, the trend in the proportion of students living in smoky homes varied around the country, with the following DHBs showing no decline over this period: Northland, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Wanganui, Mid-Central, Hutt Valley, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

Conclusions
Daily smoking prevalence continues to decline in both girls and boys. Student smoking patterns are improving more for those living in homes that do not allow smoking inside compared to those that live in smoky homes. However, the trend in the proportion of students living in smoky homes varies around the country. Increased health promotion strategies to discourage smoking homes, particularly in DHB regions where there has been no decline in the prevalence of smoky homes, may help to accelerate the decline in adolescent smoking.

Smoking Prevalence in DHBs

The results for daily, weekly and monthly smoking for the district health board regions are as follows (in order of lowest to highest):

2005 ASH Year 10 Survey Number of participants (n) (2005) % Smoke > monthly (’05) % Smoke Daily (’05) % Never Smoke (’05) 2004
Ranking 2005 Ranking
NATIONAL 32,761 16.8 9 49.4
Waitemata DHB 3618 12.6 6 56.4 2 1
Capital-Coast DHB 2490 13.3 7.4 54.6 7 2
Auckland DHB 2366 13.4 5.9 57.4 1 3
South Canterbury DHB 562 14.2 7.3 50 7 4
Hutt Valley DHB 1220 15.2 10 50.3 9 5
West Coast DHB 224 15.6 7.1 49.1 12 6
Counties-Manukau DHB 3018 16 8.8 53 5 7
Taranaki DHB 1271 16.2 9.8 51.4 4 8
Wanganui DHB 554 16.8 9.8 51.8 20 9
Canterbury DHB 3920 16.9 8.2 48.6 11 10
Waikato DHB 2693 17.6 8.6 48.2 10 11
Wairarapa DHB 591 18.3 10.8 46.4 18 12
Nelson-Marlborough DHB 1089 18.5 10.3 48.2 3 13
Otago DHB 1451 18.5 10.4 46.1 6 13
Bay of Plenty DHB 2133 19.2 11.2 44.4 16 15
Northland DHB 1165 20.1 13.3 40.3 19 16
Tairawhiti DHB 420 20.5 10.5 37.1 20 17
Lakes District DHB 708 20.9 11.7 39.8 15 18
Mid-Central DHB 1430 21.5 12.2 44.4 14 19
Hawkes Bay DHB 1227 22.5 11.4 39.8 17 20
Southland DHB 611 22.6 12.9 39.9 13 21

Ends

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