Smoking is on the decline for pupils

Merely a decade ago, nearly half of UK pupils had tried smoking at least once in their lives. However, according to a recent article from the BBC, Health and Social Care Information Centre data reveals that more pupils are now trying e-cigarettes (also known as ‘vaping’) than actual cigarettes.

According to figures, the number of pupils that are taking up smoking is declining with less than one in five pupils trying cigarettes for the very first time, which is the lowest percentage on record.

Consequently, despite initial concerns that e-cigarettes may encourage young people to smoke, statistics show that they aren’t being used as a stepping stone onto smoking real cigarettes.

Here at Perpetuity Research, we have done extensive research into methods to reduce and prevent young people taking up smoking, including an evaluation of The Smokescreen Mediology, an innovative campaign to educate young people on how the tobacco industry seeks to manipulate them. Therefore, it is positive to see how smoking for young people is on the decline, and we hope that more campaigns, such as The Smokescreen Mediology, will further encourage pupils to avoid smoking.

To read more more about our work on health research and smoking prevention click here