Current smoking includes daily and occasional smoking.
Source:
Source: ABS Survey of Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption Patterns, 1977 (ABS cat. no. 4312.0). ABS Life Style: Health Risk Factors, NSW 1985 (ABS cat. no. 4311.1). ABS and NSW Health Department. State of Health in NSW (ABS cat. no. 4330.1); NSW Health Promotion Survey 1994, ABS National Health Survey, 1995, NSW Health Surveys 1997 and 1998 and NSW Population Health Survey (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health.
Tobacco smoking was responsible for 8% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 2003, with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ischaemic heart disease accounting for more than three-quarters of this burden (Begg et al., in press).
This chart presents data on smoking rates in NSW from 1977 to 2005. Data were collected by both face-to-face interview (1977, 1985, 1989-90 and 1995 surveys) and telephone interview (1994, 1997-98, 2003 and 2005 surveys), so apparent trends over time need to be interpreted with caution.
The percentage of males reporting that they currently smoke in NSW in 2005 was 22.6% and of females was 17.5%. Overall, the data suggest that smoking rates in NSW have declined by around 18% in males and 13% in females since 1977; by 12% in males and 8% in females over the last 20 years (since 1985); and by 4% in males and 2% in females over the last 10 years (since 1995). Between 1977 and 2005, the percentage of male adults who have never smoked has increased by 16% from 36% in 1977 to 52% in 2005. In contrast, the percentage of women who have never smoked has increased by only 3% (but from a higher base) from 59% in 1977 to 62% in 2005. In 2005, in both sexes, the number of ex-smokers was greater than the number of current smokers.
Among females, due to a fairly stable rate of those who never smoked, much of the decline in smoking rates is attributable to an increase in smoking cessation, with a smaller decrease in smoking uptake. Among males, however, a decrease in smoking uptake rather than an increase in the quit rate explains most of the overall decline.
Begg S, Vos T, Barker B. et al. The burden of disease and injury in Australia, 2003. Canberra: AIHW, in press. Available at www.aihw.gov.au/publications.
Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser,
a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text)
is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen
using free software.
The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be
imported into many software packages. The graph is available for download as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file
and as an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format) file. Files in these formats can be imported into most word processing,
presentation and graphics software packages.
Copyright notice:
This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced
in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited.
Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales -
Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/beh/beh_smostat.htm. Accessed (insert date of access).
Top of page
Table of contents
