Prevalence of smoking among school children in Sheffield — planning for prevention

Abstract

THIS study describes the prevalence of regular smoking amongst 4,398 school children aged 9-18 years within one local education authority, and considers the results in relation to national findings. Regular smoking in Sheffield primary school children was infrequent but increased with pupil age, and by 15-16 years one in every four girls were smokers compared to one in every seven boys. The sex differences in smoking prevalence recorded in the local study were not observed in the national one. This result highlights the need for local studies if a comprehensive picture of prevalence is to be obtained, and effective preventive action planned.