Smoking prevalence in 15-16-year-old pupils in Solihull,1987-93: impact on health education practice

Abstract

Since 1987, a survey of the prevalence of cigarette smoking among 15-16-year-olds in Solihull has been carried out every two years (1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993). The information was gathered by an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, distributed to a one-in-five random sample of Year 11 pupils from all Solihull Local Authority secondary schools. The percentage of pupils who smoked (defined as smoking at least one cigarette in the previous week) has increased from 23 per cent in 1987 to 28 per cent in 1993. In each survey, at least two-thirds of the pupils who smoked wished to give up. The information from the surveys has made it a priority to increase our effective no-smoking activity with young people to halt, then reverse, the current trend of increasing smoking rates among young people.