§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the(a) total number and (b) percentage of the population aged (i) under 15 years, (ii) under 20 years and (iii) under 25 years who are likely to become tobacco smokers in the next five years as a result of (1) peer pressure, (2) advertising and (3) other reasons. [29129]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 12 February 1998]: No such estimates have been made, as no data are currently collected centrally on when, at what age and for what reason individuals start smoking.
Available data on smoking behaviour in recent years are, however, provided in the tables.
Smoking amongst secondary schoolchildren, age 11 to 15—England, 1982 to 1996 Percentage Smoking behaviour Boys Girls Year Regular smoker Occasional smoker Regular smoker Occasional smoker 1982 11 7 11 9 1984 13 9 13 9 1986 7 5 12 5 1988 7 5 9 5 1990 9 6 11 6 1992 9 6 10 7 1993 8 7 11 9 1994 10 9 13 10 1996 11 8 15 10 Notes:
- 1. Regular smokers are pupils who reported that they smoked at least one cigarette a day
- 2. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole figure
Source:
ONS Smoking among secondary school children in 1996: England