National year ten ASH snapshot survey launch

NATIONAL YEAR TEN ASH SNAPSHOT SURVEY LAUNCH

BOLTON HOTEL, WELLINGTON

HON TARIANA TURIA; ASSOCIATE MINISTER OF HEALTH

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2009; 3.30PM

 

In preparing for this launch today, I did a little market research myself, about five of my mokopuna who are either approaching or have just left Year Ten.

 

To my great pride and joy, it seems that none of these five fit the profile of the 6.9 percent of all Year Ten students who report being daily smokers.

 

Of course they could be not telling me the truth – but I believe them.

 

But my pride is more than a little balanced out with that spirit of natural caution that comes with being a grandmother; and the sense of pragmatism that comes with being Associate Minister of Health with responsibility for tobacco.

 

For although today we celebrate the finding of the survey of long-term decline in youth smoking rates, none of us can be complacent.

 

Smoking still remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death in New Zealand, with some five thousand deaths per annum attributable to smoking.

 

I am absolutely determined that I will do everything in my power, to be able to make a difference to the damage being wreaked by the use of tobacco and its products.

 

Last week I announced a review of smoking cessation services, but I am also interested in the banning of tobacco products at point of sale; the taxation of roll-your-own tobacco; e-cigarettes as a prevention strategy; getting rid of duty-free tobacco, or making sure that the tobacco industry has no role in public health.

 

In just the last few days, I have become concerned about the impact of tobacco company decisions to drop the prices of cigarettes – some for up to a dollar discount – and I understand this is taking place in Timaru. I have asked the Ministry for some advice about how we can respond to this obvious anomaly in current practice.

 

By far the most important priority in my mind, is about acting early, to prevent the uptake of tobacco smoking while young.

 

I have heard about a local high school where detentions have been replaced with smoking prevention programme and compulsory exercise as a novel approach to promote a smoke-free policy rather than simply punish and detain.

 

It is because of my concern for our young people that I am delighted today, with the results from the ASH Year Ten snapshot survey revealing that a record sixty percent of students have reported never using tobacco products. That’s amazing.

 

This is a fantastic result, and reflects a three percent increase on the previous year on students who answered NO to the question, have you ever smoked a cigarette, even just a few puffs.

 

Now we just need to make sure these students remain ‘never smokers’ for life.

 

I want to acknowledge Janine Paynter for her work in creating this snapshot survey, for us to use as a valuable benchmark in which to measure all future progress.

 

The ASH survey received responses from approximately 31,000 students who were aged 14 and 15 years old in 2008 – which represents about 50% of the total population in this year group.

 

Within this group there are some ongoing issues which puzzle me:

 

· The question as to why daily, weekly and monthly rates of smoking continue to be higher amongst girls than boys;

 

· The disproportionately higher rates of smoking amongst Maori girls (one in three in this age group smoke regularly compared to one in ten of European girls);

 

· Why is it that while 83% of Asian girls in Year Ten report that they’ve never smoked, only 28% of Maori girls are in that same category?

 

· What is it that can explain why the risk of daily smoking is much higher for girls attending low decile schools (16 percent) than high decile schools (four percent)?

 

· Why is it that some 19 percent of the Cook Island girls in this year group reported daily smoking while the rate for girls from other Pasifika ethnicities was as low as 7 percent?

 

These are just some of the ongoing issues that I believe we need to look into further, before we can say we have achieved wide-scale success in reducing smoking.

 

We must not be complacent – but equally we must celebrate the fact that the story from this Year Ten survey has to be one of a long-term decline in youth smoking rates.

 

Only 12 percent of student now identify as regular smokers – compared with 17.6 percent in 2004.

 

In news just to hand from the New Zealand Tobacco use survey I was saddened to learn the median age of initiation into smoking for Maori girls was 11.6 year old. That’s tragic.

 

But I am pleased that the daily smoking rate amongst Maori girls has dropped from just 29 percent in 2004 to 21.6 percent in this year’s survey.

 

So it’s a good news story….but not a great news story.

 

The great news will be when our clothes don’t smell heavily of smoke; when tobacco stain no longer discolours our teeth; when fresh air replaces the stale odour of smoke; when our hospital wards and hospices have empty beds with no waiting list in the wings; when we can walk up a flight of stairs without puffing; when all our children say no, they have never smoked, not even a puff.

 

And that’s plenty enough reason for me to continue to watch over my mokopuna and my children, to encourage my friends and colleagues, to speak out about the aspirations to be auahi kore.

 

All of us have a vested interest in being smokefree – and all of us must continue to support our family, our friends, our workmates in achieving this important goal.

 

I am so proud of my daughter, and one of my staff, both who have made the hard call this year to throw away the cigarettes; and both who with the support of their whanau right besides them, are doing all that they can to achieve their personal goal to quit. It’s all about whanau – and believing in a future where health and wellbeing are key.

 

And it is in thinking about our future, a future smokefree, that I have great pleasure in releasing on behalf of Action on Smoking and Health; the Health Sponsorship Council and the Ministry of Health, the National Year Ten ASH Snapshot Survey 1998-2008: Trends in tobacco use by students aged 14-15 years.