Youth Smoking Rates Hit New Low

Recent data has indicated that smoking rates amongst young people in Australia have hit record lows, with only 3.4% of 12 - 17 year olds being daily smokers.  Data from New South Wales shows that in 2014 only 6.7% of 12 - 17 year olds reported current smoking, which is down from 23.5% in 1996.  An article describing these trends and the possible reasons for these significant declines has been published in the journal "Public Health Research and Practice", titled "Factors influencing reductions in smoking among Australian adolescents".  In the article, the authors show how various policies f have impacted youth smoking rates, from the increase in cigarette price due to taxation, right through to the more recent interventions such as plain packaging.

Download "Factors influencing reductions in smoking among Australian adolescents". (188KB PDF)