Teenagers fail to see smoking as a significant health issue

TEENAGERS who smoke do not believe their health will be improved if they quit the habit, new research has shown.

The majority of teenagers who smoke recognise that their lifestyles are unhealthy and they smoke too much, eat too much junk food and do not exercise enough. However, none of them considered giving up cigarettes to improve their health.

The research was carried out as part of the Pfizer “Way2Go” programme and involved 12 focus groups around the country made up of teenagers who smoke. It was launched yesterday at the Science Gallery in Dublin with World champion boxer Katie Taylor and Galway hurler Joe Canning in attendance.

The Office of Tobacco Control estimates that 16 per cent of Irish teenagers between 12 and 17 smoke, rising to 28 per cent for teenagers between 16 and 17.

Intervention in the teenage years is critical in the prevention of smoking.

Irish research demonstrates that 78 per cent of smokers start before the age of 18, with over half starting by the age of 15.

Teenagers told researchers that they did not regard smoking as a pressing health issue for them because the consequences were years away, while the problems of being overweight and unfit were immediate.

“Given that teenagers tend to ‘live in the now’ the perceived threat of future health consequences from smoking was assumed to be remote,” the report stated.

“The majority of teenagers were relatively well informed on the health consequences of smoking, with many showing awareness of heart disease, cancer etc. Their limited interest in such advice appeared to be the result of the delayed onset of the health consequences of smoking.”

The move from primary to secondary school was revealed as a trigger point for many teenagers to start smoking, with teenagers saying they used cigarettes as a coping mechanism to manage everyday stress.

Most reported starting between the ages of 13 and 14 and cited the transition to secondary school, peer pressure and drinking as the reasons why they started. All of the teenagers included in the research bought their own cigarettes, although it is strictly illegal for anybody under 18 to buy them.

In general, those who participated in the survey smoked between five and 10 cigarettes a day and up to 20 cigarettes at the weekend, though some reported smoking even more than that if they go drinking.

Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday, Dr Angie Brown, the chair of Ash Ireland, said the report would go a long way towards filling gaps in the present research about how and why teenagers start smoking.

“This report uncovers interesting findings around teenagers’ attitudes to smoking and the reasons why they start in the first place – hugely important in moving forward to tackle this serious issue,” Dr Brown said.

Approximately 20 to 30 per cent of all teenagers interviewed reported trying at some point in the past to quit smoking. However, all attempts by the teenagers to date to give up smoking were unsuccessful. The majority were of the view that they will, at some point, kick the habit.