Nine out of ten 'will never try smoking' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Poll shows children take a dim view of lighting up
8:16am Wednesday 16th September 2009 in Local By Claire Lomax
98 per cent of Bradford children with a smoker parent want them to quit
A new ‘smoke-free generation’ of Bradford children say they will never try a cigarette, think that smoking is really uncool and are increasingly worried about the health of parents who smoke, according to new research.
The findings, from a poll of 1,000 children aged eight to 13 across England, including Bradford, coincide with the start of a Department of Health advertising campaign aimed at getting loved ones to stop smoking.
The survey was carried out on behalf of NHS Stop Smoking Services. Key findings in Bradford are that 98 per cent of children with a parent who smokes wish they would quit, 92 per cent of children have never tried a cigarette and nine out of ten believe they will never try one.
Almost two thirds (65 per cent) of children whose parents smoke would rather their parents quit smoking than give them more pocket money, 97 per cent of children think that older people who smoke don’t look cool and more than a quarter (28 per cent) of children believe that smoking could be extinct by 2030.
This emerging picture of the first ‘smoke-free generation’ is backed up by the latest Information Centre statistics on tobacco, which show that regular smoking among 11 to 15-year-olds has halved since its peak in the mid 1990s.
Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said: “The facts are clear – every week 2,000 people die from smoking-related diseases, which could have a devastating effect on children’s lives.”
Bradford smoke-free adviser Rachel Foster said: “We work with lots of families to help parents stop smoking in a way that suits them best. This could be one-to-one sessions at a time or place that suits, group sessions or prescribing nicotine replacement.
“All our families who’ve been successful tell us that our help and support was invaluable.”
For help quitting, call the NHS helpline on 0800 066 5826 or visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree
