Fewer Island students smoking

Jessie Wentzel

Fewer Island students were lighting up last year.

A study of more than 4700 high school students found fewer high school students smoked last year than the year before.

The study, conducted by Donna Murnaghan a researcher at University of Prince Edward Island's School of Nursing, showed 17 per cent of grade nine students smoked every week in 1999 compared to 10.7 per cent in 2000. The reduction also appeared in grades 10 and 11, but not as large as grade nine.

A slight increase was found in the weekly smoking rates of the students in grade 12, where 27.6 per cent smoked every week in 1999 compared to 28.1 per cent in 2000.

Of the students who smoke every week, 83.9 per cent plan to quit smoking sometime in the future.

Vicki Francis, co-chair of the P.E.I. Tobacco Reduction Alliance and Executive Director of the P.E.I. division of the Canadian Cancer Society says this drop is due largely to the multiple strategies used during the past year to reduce tobacco use.

"One thing we know about the whole tobacco reduction world is that when you use comprehensive strategies where there are a number of components over a certain period of time it usually has some impact," says Francis.

The Tobacco Reduction Alliance focused on school based activities over the past 18 months including implementing effective curriculum, establishing healthy policies, providing supportive environments and assisting students who are trying to quit.

"In all the high schools last year, clubs were formed around anti-tobacco use and information," she says. "So in all the high schools there were activities."

All Island school have adopted a smoking ban on school property and throughout all high school there is the availability of smoking cessetation programs.

Alliance members also distributed over 5000 graphic posters to school illustrating the toxic and addictive substances found in cigarettes.

"The kids themselves tell us they want in your face sort of stuff...They say they want the grossest most explicit messages." says Francis. "Some of that works as prevention, some of it works with kids in terms of prevention and some of it just promotes the idea of thinking about quitting."

She says participation has been very good as well.

Each high school has a club which is made up of both smokers and non-smokers.

"If you look at the study participants who have quit or plan to quit, the numbers are rising in that area. Kids want to be rid of this addiction," says Francis. "So in the clubs having both working together you get the reality of what it is."

The fact fewer students are smoking this year compared to last is very promising she says. But there are still a couple of areas where they (the Canadian Cancer Society) would like to get few more things done, but they need to get the government involved.

Increasing taxes on cigarettes is one of the big issues because kids are price sensitive.

"The evidence shows that this would have one of the largest impacts on kids," Francis says.

They would also like to see a ban on smoking in public places.

These two issues are the two missing pieces, she says.

Having many plans for the future, the alliance will continue its attempt to prevent and reduce the use of tobacco among Island youth, says Francis.