More women take up smoking — survey

Press, 27 April 1987, Page 35

More women take up smoking — survey

PA Wellington At least 47,000 adults, mostly men, have quit smoking since the 1986 Budget and the SmokeFree Week, says the Health Department. But the number of women smokers has increased. The figures were published in an AGB Spectrum survey issued to the Health Department in which 13,000 adults were interviewed door-to-door about their smoking habits during the last two years.

The department’s principal medical officer for

health promotion, Dr Murray Laugesen, said the 47,000 was a net figure after allowing for new former smokers, restarters, smokers dying and new teen-age smokers. The cigarette-smoking population was now estimated to be 699,000, down 32,000 since the Smoke Free week and the last Budget, Dr Laugesen said. “While it is good news that men are getting the message about the benefits of giving up, it is vital to look at the issues surrounding the high numbers of women smokers,” he said. Faced with higher prices, many smokers had cut down and others had switched to roll-your-owns. The average number of manufactured cigarettes sold per smoker fell 30 per cent, from 23 a day in the year ending June to 16 a day in the last quarter of 1986. aL Others, howevJß had not cut down. The aver-

age smoker was spending about 20c more a day on smokes.

. Sales of carton cigarettes in supermarkets had fallen 34 per cent since the Budget. Total cigarette sales across all shops fell 25 per cent. “Former smokers, besides gaining an average five years extra life each, are saving themselves $47 million this year,” Dr Laugesen said. “The average former smoker now has $lOOO a year to spend on items other than tobacco.”

Dr Laugesen said that in response to falling sales after last year’s Budget, the tobacco industry had raised tobacco prices twice in August and again in recent weeks. “The death and disease price tag of cigarettes is also getting more attention, with a fatal outcome promised to one in four smokers. Many become respiratory cripples from emphysema," Dr Laugesen said.