Targeted Smokefree initiatives needed for underage smokers - Research

Government moves to restrict access to cigarettes are a critical step in improving health outcomes for Maori and women, however more targeted intervention is needed to reduce rates of underage smoking, according to new research.

A new Government ban will prevent young people from ever being able to legally purchase tobacco in their lives. The Smokefree initiative will also mean tobacco products will be less available and will have lower levels of nicotine.

A new nationwide Shosha study of over 3,600 smokers has found while the average starting age is 16, four in ten (39%) smokers started the habit at age 14 or younger.

Two thirds (64%) of those who started when they were under 15 are female and Maori are also disproportionately represented - making up a quarter (25%) of the ethnicities who began at an earlier age.

The research found those who started smoking at a younger age were more likely to have a higher maximum consumption of cigarettes. The average maximum number of cigarettes ever smoked in a day was 26, compared to 22 cigarettes for those who started smoking over the age of 14.

Registered counsellor and addiction specialist Leanne French says the new Smokefree initiatives are another crucial step in helping to reduce smoking in our communities.

She says it is concerning to see that there is a correlation between starting smoking while underage and the higher daily consumption of cigarettes.

“These new restrictions will help ensure that cigarettes are out of sight, out of mind and out of reach for vulnerable youth who may have experimented early on and are now left with a lifelong addiction.”

“It is critical to acknowledge that nicotine has a physiological impact on us as it is both a stimulant and sedative and is highly addictive,” says French.

The research also found measures to restrict the supply of cigarettes were supported by smokers. It found more than a third (34%) of those attempting to quit the habit believed nicotine reductions and targeted support services would be the most effective mechanisms to aid smoking cessation.

The research asked respondents who had either quit smoking or were in the process of quitting smoking to evaluate the potential efficacy of ten of the Ministry’s proposed initiatives in the Smokefree Action Plan.

Other measures which restrict access to tobacco products including licensing of all retailers of cigarettes and limiting the number of store types which can sell smoked tobacco products to specialist R18 retailers and pharmacies were also considered effective methods of reducing the number of Kiwi smokers by almost a third (32%) of those surveyed.

Similarly, a move to significantly reduce the number of smoked tobacco product retailers based on local population size and the ‘grandfather’ policy that progressively prohibits the sale of smoked tobacco products to a new age group each year also featured in the survey for almost a quarter (23%) of smokers.

Nabhik Gupta, spokesperson for Shosha, the country’s largest retailer of e-cigarettes, says the move is a positive step towards achieving the country’s Smokefree objectives.

“Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and the new regulatory changes are a significant step towards meeting the nation’s Smokefree 2025 goal,” he says.