Number of regular 13-year-old smokers 'levels off'

Published on Tuesday 23 June 2009 22:52

THE decline in the number of young teenagers who smoke has come to a halt, official statistics have revealed.

The proportion of 13-year-olds who admit being regular smokers has remained "much the same" over the past two years, according to the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey.

The numbers had fallen in previous years but officials said the figures had now "levelled off". However, the proportion of children drinking alcohol has gone down.

The survey was carried out last autumn and involved more than 10,000 pupils aged 13 and 15.

"Among 13-year-olds, the proportion who report being regular smokers remained much the same in 2006 and 2008," it said.

This proportion remained at 3 per cent in both years for boys and dropped from 5 per cent to 4 per cent among girls.

The prevalence of smoking among this age group had fallen since 1998 from 9 per cent of boys and 11 per cent of girls.

But the rate of reduction "appears to have levelled off in recent years", the report said.

The proportion of 15-year-old boys who regularly smoke increased from 12 per cent in 2006 to 14 per cent in 2008.

The number of girls smoking at this age continued to fall, from 18 per cent in 2006 to 16 per cent in 2008.

The proportion of pupils who said they had never smoked increased between 2006 and 2008, from 69 to 75 per cent of 13-year-olds, and from 47 to 51 per cent of 15-year-olds.

Fewer pupils are drinking. Between 2006 and 2008, the proportion of 13-year-olds saying they had had an alcoholic drink in the previous week went down from 14 to 11 per cent and for 15-year-olds it declined from 36 to 31 per cent.

But about 20 per cent of 15-year-olds and about one in 20 13-year-olds reported they had used drugs in the past year.