Tobacco Use in Tasmania
There is evidence that Tasmanian smoking rates have increased despite decreases in national trends. Data on smoking rates is available from a number of sources. The most comprehensive data is sourced from studies conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) conducts a National Drug Strategy Household Survey providing national data but the sample size for each jurisdiction is smaller than that used in ABS surveys. Accordingly, AIHW figures provide some indication of trends in smoking rates but are not considered to be conclusive of changes in the rate of smoking in Tasmania.
In 2004, ABS National Health Survey data records the Tasmanian adult smoking rate at 25.4 per cent which equates to approximately 86,400 smokers. This includes both daily or regular smokers (24.1 per cent) and occasional smokers (1.3 per cent). In comparison, the previous ABS National Health Survey in 2001 found the smoking rate to be 24.4 per cent which included 22 per cent daily or regular smokers and 2.4 per cent occasional smokers. Although statistically not significant, smoking prevalence has increased in Tasmania by 1 per cent since 2001. The 2004 survey found never smoked and occasional smoking prevalence to have declined suggesting an uptake of daily or regular smoking by young people.
Furthermore, smoking was found to be more prevalent among males at 27.5 per cent compared to females at 23.5 per cent. The highest proportion of smokers were found to be in the 18 to 34 age group at a rate of 39.6 per cent for males (an increase from 29.5 per cent in 2001) and 32.6 per cent for females (a decrease from 39.6 per cent in 2001).
In comparison, the AIHW National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2004 found a national smoking rate of 17.4 per cent in people aged over 14 years. Tasmania was recorded as having the second highest proportion of daily smokers in Australia at 21.5 per cent. It also found 22 per cent of Tasmanian males identified as being regular smokers in contrast to the national average of 18.6 per cent and 21 per cent of females compared to the national average of 16.3 per cent. In 2005, the Tasmanian component of the Australian Secondary Schools Alcohol and Drug Survey estimated that 4,300 young Tasmanians were regular smokers, representing 12 per cent of the population under 18 years of age. The same survey found a significant decline between 2002 and 2005 of the proportion of males and females aged 16 to 17 years who smoked from 24 per cent to 14 per cent, although this age group was more likely to have smoked than 12 to 15 year olds. 83 per cent of students surveyed considered themselves to be non-smokers and 94 per cent believed they would not be smoking cigarettes in one years time.
Alarmingly, a large number of Tasmanian women continue to smoke during pregnancy. In 1993, 29 per cent of pregnant women were found to have smoked during pregnancy, 13 per cent having smoked 1 to 9 cigarettes per day; 12 per cent smoked 10 to 20 a day and 4 per cent smoked 21 plus per day. Although more up-to-date data is unavailable, the high rate of smoking by young women of child bearing age is a major concern, not only for the health and wellbeing of young women, but also the impact on fertility rates and on babies and small children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Furthermore, anecdotal information from public and private hospitals suggests the prevalence of women smoking during pregnancy is still high.
In 2004, 50 per cent of the Tasmanian Aboriginal adult population were found to be current smokers.
