Cigarette smoking: Rates of cigarette smoking among Irish people are beginning to come down. Some 27 per cent of the population are regular or occasional smokers now compared to 31 per cent four years ago.
The fall is evident in virtually every age group and every social class, according to the The National Health & Lifestyle Surveys published yesterday.
Highest smoking rates are still among young people, both male and female, with 34 per cent of those in the 18-34 age group smoking compared to 25 per cent in the 35-54 age group and 17 per cent in the over 55 population.
The only group in which smoking rates haven't dropped since a previous study in 1998 is among 15-17 year-old males.
The surveys, conducted last summer among 5,992 adults and 5,712 school-going children aged between 10 and 18 years, found 19 per cent of school children are current smokers, down two percentage points since 1998.
"Rates have dropped most particularly in the key 12-14 year age group, suggesting the possibility of delayed initiation, a key part of any successful health promotion strategy," the report said.
Among adults, smoking rates fell by four percentage points to 28 per cent for men and by five percentage points to 26 per cent among women. There was a more modest drop among the over 55 age group.
And while more medical card holders than non-medical card holders were found to smoke, there was also a fall off in smoking among both of these groups. Some 37 per cent of medical cards holders reported smoking in 2002 compared to 42 per cent in 1998 while 24 per cent of non-medical card holders now smoke, compared to 30 per cent four years ago.
Some 58 per cent of smokers smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day, down from 62 per cent in 1998.
"These findings in 2002 suggest a real decline in smoking rates, given the consistency of the trends. In addition there are positive trends in exposure to passive smoke. Rates of exposure at home, in the workplace, on public transport, in pubs or clubs or other places are all down among adult men and women, though exposure rates at work (29 per cent men and 16.6 per cent women) are much lower than in pubs and clubs (47.3 per cent men and 31.6 per cent women) suggesting the importance of legislation in regulating exposure," the report continued.