Smoking ratio changes

Press, 27 August 1977, Page 2

Smoking ratio changes

Fewer men and more women in New Zealand are now smoking, according to figures in the report. Provisional figures of a survey taken during the 1976 census indicated that at that time 38.5 per cent of men and 30.5 per cent of women smoked cigarettes. In all age-groups except t the youngest (15 to 19), [there were more men than women who smoked regularly. The peak age for regular! smoking was 45 to 49 fori men and 20 to 24 for! women, both showing a reduction in later age-groups. A total of 46.7 per cent of male smokers and 31.8 per 'cent of female smokers exceeded 20 cigarettes a day. The period of heaviest I smoking was 35 to 39 for men and 40 to 44 for | women. ! The report said that when

compared with earlier sur-' veys it appeared that there had been a reduction in the number of men who smoke. "This is not, however, true for women. Young women appear to be smoking in greater number and in larger quantities.” There were also indications that continuing cigarette smokers were smoking more heavily than before. This development had presumably contributed to the over-all increase in tobacco (consumption, the report, said. ! “Significantly fewer New

Zealand doctors smoke than was the case 10 years ago, while the proportion of young graduates who do not start smoking has greatly increased.”