§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of smoking is among teenagers(a) overall and (b) in each region. [89569]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 7 July 1999]: The information available is given in the tables.
619W
Prevalence of cigarette smoking among secondary school children aged 11 to 15, and adults aged 16 to 19 England 1996 Percentage Age Males Females Persons 11 1 0 1 12 2 4 3 13 8 11 10 14 13 24 18 15 28 33 30 All pupils aged 11–15 11 15 13 Adults aged 16–19 25 32 29 Base Pupils aged 11–15 1,445 1,409 2,854 Adults aged 16–19 335 345 680 Notes:
1. Pupil cigarette smokers are those respondents who usually smoke one or more cigarettes a week
2. Adult cigarette smokers are those respondents who said that they smoke cigarettes at all nowadays
3. The data are rounded to the nearest whole figure
Sources:
1. ONS survey of smoking among secondary schoolchildren, 1996
2. ONS General Household Survey 1996
Prevalence of cigarette smoking among secondary school pupils aged 11 to 15, by region, 1996 Percentage Region Prevalence Base North 15 885 Midlands 13 732 South 10 890 Greater London 13 347 Total 13 2,854 Notes:
1. Pupil cigarette smokers are those respondents who usually smoke one or more cigarettes a week
2. Data are rounded to the nearest whole figure
3. The sample is too small to provide valid data by regions for adults aged 16 to 19
Source:
ONS survey of smoking among secondary schoolchildren, 1996
Prevalence of cigarette smoking among 16–19 year olds in Great Britain, by region, 1996 Standard region Percentage smoking cigarettes Base North 12 56 Yorkshire and Humberside 26 50 North West 31 123 East Midlands 27 52 West Midlands 19 72 East Anglia 29 38 Greater London 24 78 Outer Metropolitan Area 38 81 Outer South East 42 60 South West 31 70 England 29 680 Wales 31 52 Scotland 31 77 Great Britain 29 809 Note
The sample in each region for this age group is quite small
Source:
General Household Survey 1996
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of smoking on the ageing of the skin. [89571]
620W
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 7 July 1999]: Although the Department has not sponsored specific research on this topic, recent published papers have concluded that smoking causes skin wrinkling that could make smokers appear prematurely old.