Vol. 496 No. 6
304 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the studies, if any, his Department has carried out on the significant increase in numbers of schoolgoing children who smoke; if he has consulted the Department of Education and Science in respect of a serious awareness campaign on the medical consequences for addictive smokers; if so, the resources put into this campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23444/98]
My Department has been involved in a number of studies which have been carried out in order to establish the smoking prevalence rates among school children.
In 1995, my Department supported the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, ESPAD. The results of this study indicated that Ireland had a lifetime smoking prevalence among all students of 74 per cent meaning that 74 per cent of students smoked at least once with 41 per cent having smoked in the previous 30 days. Earlier this year, my Department also commissioned a national lifestyle survey, SLAN, in which young people were participants. This survey will provide more recent statistics in relation to smoking and young people. The results will be available to me shortly.
In addition to research, the health promotion unit of my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Science, has developed a comprehensive substance abuse prevention programme, SAPP, which includes the issue of tobacco. Available research indicates that the issue of tobacco use by young people is most effectively dealt with when it is part of a broad based social, personal and health education programme and the substance abuse prevention programme conforms to this approach. This programme is currently being extended to primary schools. The unit has also developed a smoking cessation reduction action programme for young people which complements the materials available in the SAPP programme.
