This report is a brief update of tobacco use in New Zealand in 2008. It provides an overview of current smoking and tobacco consumption among New Zealanders over time, and presents some data from the 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey (NZTUS 2008), including current smoking by age, ethnic group and neighbourhood deprivation, and smoking in youth aged 15 to 19 years.
Online data tables include NZTUS 2008 data on what products people smoke, where they purchase them and why they smoke roll-your-own cigarettes. There is also further information on smoking status and frequency, youth smoking behaviour and second-hand smoke exposure. Where possible comparison data have been provided from the NZTUS 2006 and 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey.
Key Results
Key Points- The estimated smoking rate for people aged 15 years and over for 2008 is 21%. This is generally consistent with the downward trend over the last 25 years.
- Among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 20.8% were current smokers in 2008.
- Half of youth aged 15 to 19 years had never tried smoking, not even one puff. This prevalence is significantly higher than in 2006 (39%).
- Nearly 60% of youth current smokers aged 15 to 17 years reported buying cigarettes in the past month.
- Among youth, roll-your-own cigarettes were more likely to be smoked by 15- to 17-year-olds than 18- to 19-year-olds. The most common reason given for smoking roll-your-own cigarettes among 15- to 17-year-olds was that they were cheaper than manufactured cigarettes.
- Māori (45.4%) and Pacific people (31.4%) were more likely to be current smokers compared with the total population aged 15 to 64 years.
- People living in the most deprived neighbourhoods were 1.5 times more likely to be smokers than people living in the least deprived areas
- The amount of tobacco available per person for consumption in New Zealand in 2008 increased by less than 1% from 2007.