More Teenage Girls Smoke Than Boys

30 November -0001

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A new study shows that teenage girls are more likely to take up smoking than boys in the same age group.

The research found that girls aged 15 and 16, over 30 per cent were smokers, this compared with only 25 per cent of women in general, the study was carried out by the Economic and Social Research Council shows.

The researchers studied a large cross-section of pupils attending schools in the Leeds area of Yorkshire found that two per cent of 11- to 12-year-olds smoked at least five cigarettes a week, while children aged 13 and 14, over 15 per cent of girls and eight per cent of boys were also regular smokers.

When teenagers were 15 and 16 years old the rates had nearly doubled, with 30% of the girls and 16% of the boys smoking regularly.

The two-part trial studied 1,500 children during a first stage then 1,134 children aged 15 to 16 in the second stage, with the second stage contained 809 from the first stage.

All the children filled in questionnaires about smoking or not smoking, they took breath tests to measure carbon monoxide and saliva tests for nicotine and also received advice and guidance every three or four months, though the advice according to the research had no long-lasting impact.

The School of Psychology at Leeds University carried out the research and they found some signs that intervention had an impact on smoking rates at the time but this was not the case in the later stages of the study.

The professor who led the team reported the data shows that girls are much more likely than boys to take up smoking and it could only be speculation as to why this was.

He guessed that it could be to do with girls' concern about weight control using smoking is a way of controlling appetite.

It did show that the case that girls who smoke are more likely to have a group of girlfriends who smoke therefore it could be increased pressure that accounted for the increase.

What ever the reasons this is a worrying trend any increase in children smoking needs to be taken seriously.

The study is in contrast with adult smoking rates that have started to fall the hope was that this would be reflected in these studies.

This is a group that needs targeting in regards to prevent uptake of the biggest causes of lung disease and death as a result of lung cancer.

Acknowledgements Dr Connor.