A Tobacco-Free Future revealed declines in smoking rates among both children and pregnant women over the past decade, both North and South of the border. The report published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) and the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI) in November 2013, showed that while tobacco control measures are being successful, disadvantaged children are at particular risk of tobacco-related harms.
The report findings demonstrated the return from the introduction of broad-ranging tobacco control measures such as smoke-free workplaces, regulation of vending machines and pack sizes, price increases and removal of point of sale displays in retail outlets.
Many trends emerging in the research were encouraging. Smoking during pregnancy has declined by around one third over the last decade or so in both parts of the island. Smoking among children has also declined. In the Republic of Ireland, the proportion of 10-17 year olds reporting that they had ever smoked fell from 36% to 27% between 2006 and 2010 and in Northern Ireland, the proportion of 11-16 year olds reporting that they had ever smoked decreased from 24% to 19% between 2007 and 2010.
The report explored patterns in children trying smoking.
Children are still trying their first cigarette at a very young age and their stage of development makes them uniquely susceptible to tobacco marketing and branding. However, there are signs of improvement – the proportion of children in the Republic of Ireland who reported trying their first cigarette aged 13 or younger has fallen over time.
Disadvantaged children are more likely to live in households with smoking adults and are at greater risk of exposure to second-hand smoke.
The burden of harm associated with smoking falls heavily on the most disadvantaged children. This is true in terms of their likelihood of exposure in the womb as well as to second-hand smoke in the home and ultimately to their own risk of taking up smoking at a young age. In the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland, mothers were three times more likely to smoke during pregnancy than in the least deprived areas. Nine year old children in the Republic of Ireland living in the lowest income families were twice as likely to be exposed to second hand smoke in the home as children in the highest income families.
Based on the report of parents in the Republic of Ireland, between one in five and one in six 9 year old children live in a home where people smoke in the same room as them. Around one in seven 13 to 14 year olds reported that someone smokes in the car when they are present. However, despite concerns that the smoking ban in workplaces would result in increases in the exposure of children to second-hand smoke in the home, the evidence definitively shows that this has not been the case. On the contrary, evidence from Northern Ireland shows small but significant declines in children’s exposure to second-hand smoke exposure in the home over time.
Parental smoking behaviours are so significant in the health and development of children on this island. Smoking in pregnancy was associated with adverse outcomes for newborn babies including low birthweight. GP attendances for chest and ear infections among infants were higher among mothers who smoked in the first 9 months of their child’s life. Among older children, both active smoking and second-hand smoke were significant in terms of patterns of childhood asthma.
The 2013 report highlighted the importance of continuing efforts to restrict access and appeal of tobacco products to young people and stresses the importance of smoking cessation initiatives within maternity, child and family policies and services, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
A Tobacco-Free Future adds further supportive evidence to the direction of current tobacco control policies in both jurisdictions. Welcoming the report, Ministers for Health Dr James Reilly TD and Mr Edwin Poots MLA reiterated their commitment to protecting children from the tobacco-related harm associated with both active and passive smoking.
Report Authors – Dr Helen McAvoy, Dr Olga McDaid, Mr Owen Metcalfe (Institute of Public Health in Ireland), Dr Zubair Kabir, Professor Luke Clancy (TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland) and Dr Udo Reulbach (Trinity College Dublin).
Notes to Editors
The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) promotes cooperation for public health on the island of Ireland.
