Smoking among schoolchildren at 25 year low

Smoking among school children has fallen to its lowest level for 25 years, according to an NHS Information Centre survey published today (July 17 2008).

Six per cent of pupils mostly aged 11 to 15 smoked regularly in 2007, the lowest figure recorded since the survey began in 1982.

Drug and alcohol use among the same age group is also falling, according to the survey; Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2007.

It is estimated that of pupils aged 11 to 15:

  • Six per cent are likely to smoke regularly, compared to 10 per cent in 2001.
  • 20 per cent are likely to have drunk alcohol in the last seven days, compared to 26 per cent in 2001.
  • 10 per cent are likely to have taken drugs (including glue and other volatile substances) in the last month, compared to 12 per cent in 2001.

Although the proportion taking drugs has fallen overall, the proportion taking Class A drugs within the last year has remained stable since 2001, at around four percent.

A total of 29 per cent reported either drinking, smoking or taking drugs recently, while four per cent reported doing all three.

Tim Straughan, NHS Information Centre Chief Executive, said: “These figures show schoolchildren are turning their back on tobacco.

“The survey also shows drugs and alcohol appear to have a decreasing hold on 11 to 15-year-olds, which can only be a good thing for future generations.”

A full copy of the report is at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sdd07fullreport

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with more than 300 health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
  2. This report contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils aged in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). 7,831 pupils in 273 schools in England completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2007.
  3. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) carried out the survey on behalf of The NHS Information Centre for health and social care and Home Office; DCSF also have an interest in the statistics. This is the most recent survey in a series that began in 1982. Each survey since 1998 has included a core set of questions on smoking, drinking and drug use and, since 2000, the remainder of the questionnaire has focused in alternate years on smoking and drinking or on drug taking. The emphasis of the 2007 survey is on drug misuse.
  4. The survey report presents information on the proportion of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs. The report also explores the attitudes and beliefs of school children towards drug use and where and who children obtain drugs from. Relationships between smoking, drinking and drug use are explored along with the links between smoking, drinking, and drug use with other factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, previous truancy or exclusion, and school policies in these areas.
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