01 November 2004

Smoking and cannabis use falling among high school students

A new health survey of high school students has revealed that the number of NSW secondary students reporting recent tobacco and cannabis use has almost halved in the last 20 years.

The data shows that since 1984 the number of high school students reporting recent tobacco use had fallen by 40%, while the number of students reporting recent cannabis use had fallen by 47% since 1996.

NSW Minister for Health Morris Iemma today released the report, The health behaviours of secondary school students in New South Wales 2002, which is an overview of the main health behaviours of NSW secondary school students.

Information presented in this report is derived from surveys of secondary school students carried out by NSW Health every three years between 1984 and 2002, with NSW Cancer Council collaboration since 1996.

“Patterns of lifestyle behaviours that affect health are often established in teenage years. This report provides information on lifestyle behaviours including smoking and drinking alcohol, eating habits and physical activity,” Mr Iemma said.

The 2002 survey involved 6180 students aged 12 to 17 years, of whom 3780 were from government schools, 1221 were from Catholic schools and 1179 were from independent schools. Some of the major findings include:

Tobacco smoking

• The percentage of students who reported recent smoking (smoking in the last week) has fallen from 22 per cent in 1984 to 13 per cent in 2002.
• The percentage of students who reported ever smoking has fallen from 57 per cent in 1984 to 42 per cent in 2002.
• Students who reported they purchased their last cigarette has steadily fallen from 31 per cent in 1996 to 22 per cent in 2002.

“These figures reflect a positive picture that youth smoking rates are on the decline.

“However while the number of students who attempt to buy cigarettes has declined, of those who did 37 per cent indicated they have never been refused service and 35 per cent have never been asked for proof of age,” Mr Iemma said.

“This highlights the need for ongoing vigilance in making sure that retailers comply with tobacco legislation and that where necessary.

Alcohol and other drugs

• Alcohol consumption has remained stable over time, with slightly under one third of all students having consumed an alcoholic drink in the previous week.
• Students reporting cannabis use in the previous four weeks has decreased from 17 per cent in 1996 to 9 per cent in 2002.

“Government policies and programs continue to target drug use following the Drug Summit and the Alcohol Summit,” Mr Iemma said.

“More than $2.6 million has been allocated over four years for cannabis intervention and treatment to specifically target cannabis use in the community. Cannabis Clinics have been established in Western Sydney and the Central Coast with further Clinics scheduled for Southern Sydney and mid western NSW.

The study does indicate that the NSW Government’s policy initiatives to target healthy eating choices among students are well justified.

Eating patterns an physical activity

• Consumption of recommended quantities of fruit, vegetables, breads and cereals remains suboptimal.
• Significant proportions of students consume food bought from fast food outlets more than twice a week, although this has remained stable since 1999.
• Although most students participated in some sports or physical activity, only one in five students reported doing moderate physical activity at least five times in the previous week, and only 22 per cent reported doing vigorous physical activity at least five times in the previous week.
• Many students are spending significant amounts of time in sedentary activities such as watching television, using the internet or playing computer games.

“These figures show that there are a number of areas that need improvement regarding the diet and physical activity adolescents, particularly in light of the obesity epidemic,” Mr Iemma said.

“The Government is currently implementing a number of strategies aimed at reducing childhood obesity. The NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy is one of these initiatives.

Injury

• In 2002, 34 per cent of students reported that in the last six months they had experienced an injury requiring medical attention. This was a decrease from 43 per cent in 1996.
• The sports with the highest proportion of injuries were soccer, rugby league and cricket for males and netball and dancing for females with high rates of participation noted in these sports.
• The majority of students perceived a high level of risk being a passenger in a vehicle where the driver had been drinking alcohol or where the driver had taken drugs.

“Families, communities, and government are making substantial efforts to encourage young people to take up healthy lifestyles, as well as working to create environments that better protect them,” Mr Iemma said.

Related links:

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au